Kitsune Reincarnate
by TR Feigning Innocence
Summary: Kagome's dead. Now, she's been given a choice to live as a soul in the jewel or to be re-born AGAIN, as a mischievous Kitsune!
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Had she died and the well not been destroyed, Kagome simply would have been transported back to her time and given life again to live there as she pleased. But with the death of Naraku and the destruction of the well, Kagome must make a choice. She can either stay where she is, trapped in eternal time with the Shikon as her only companion or she can be once again reincarnated and become Youkai.

Chapter One:

Kagome ran the length of the field, breathing heavy as she took aim and let loose a purifying arrow, just barely hitting her mark. Her legs were killing her and her shoulder was bleeding heavily, but it was nothing compared to the wounds of some of the others. Sango lay prone beneath Miroku, barely breathing while Miroku was having trouble as it was keeping a hoard of the mindless demons at arm's length. Kirara fought beside him, tearing into the throats of the other demons while protecting Shippou at the same time. Shippou was also doing his own little bit to help, throwing charms and fox fire at any demon that approached Sango and Miroku's turned back.

Inuyasha, the same as always, refused to let his injuries stop him. His left arm was hanging limply to the side and an arrow was sticking up from his thigh, curtsey of Kikyo. And although Inuyasha had tried to stop her, Kagome and shot her own arrow at the other miko, sealing her to the spot just in time for one of Naraku's tentacles to run her through.

The feeling of her soul returning to Kagome, though surprising and emotionally painful because of the guild she knew she would get from Inuyasha, was refreshing, giving her just a bit more hope that everything would be okay. And although Kagome would never admit it, not to Inuyasha, not to anyone, she was glad that the other Miko could finally go to rest. Kagome knew that it was only a part of Kikyo's soul that would go to hell because the true Kikyo, the Kikyo that Inuyasha knew and had fallen in love with, would never had been able to hurt Inuyasha or steal the souls of the dead and dying to survive. The true Kikyo would never have worked against them.

Focusing on her surroundings, Kagome stopped where she was to catch her breath, avoiding a blow from a crazed snake youkai as it swung its tail in her direction. One well aimed swing of her bow had the damned demon turning to ash in the air. Glancing back at the scene below her, Kagome laid her eyes upon Sesshoumaru as he continued to attack Naraku. Aside from a small scratch on the demon lords face there was not a single wound on the man and she could feel the strength in his aura still, even after hours of fighting the evil hanyou.

On the other side of the clearing, directly across from where Kagome stood, was another miko, this one just a few years older than Kagome herself, though nowhere near as powerful. Really, the only thing the other girl was good at, aside from the usually, was controlling time, even if it was just for moments at a time. This, however, was something none of the group aside from Sesshoumaru knew, for he was the one that had found the miko for her. Still, even he did not know of her plan.

The girls name was Chikara and she came from the Eastern Lands. According to Jakan, she was the pride and joy of the Kitsune clan, currently the rules clam of the East. No one was quite sure how her magic worked, only that it did. Chikara could stop time for anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. When Kagome had first approached the girl, Chikara was hesitant to help but after a few more pleading words from Kagome, she was going to do what the Shikon Miko wished her to do.

Looking at her now, Kagome watched as the wind blew a chocolate brown strand of hair into her face, her body tense and her arrow aimed. She stood still for just a moment, before releasing her arrow and watching as it hit her target, purifying it on contact.

Chikara glanced at Kagome, before nodding sharply. It was almost time. Turning to face the battle field once more, Kagome took one more fleeting glance at Inuyasha. She had long past learned that the hanyou would never be able to care for her in the same way that he had cared for Kikyo and although it hurt, Kagome was able to understand. She would no longer waste her time vying for the love of a man who thought of himself as her brother, as pack. Kagome would always love him, after all, he was her first love, but time had passed and she had changed.

Taking one more glance at her friends, she silently wished them all a long and happy life. A life filled with laughter and love, with children and family. Even Sesshoumaru, whom she knew didn't even consider them allies, whom she knew would likely try to kill her for what she was about to do. Even Sesshoumaru, who was likely the only one that could stop her.

Finally Kagome turned her crystal blue eyes to Naraku and the task at hand. It was finally time for his evil plots and manipulations to come to an end. He would at last pay for all the wrongs he had committed against humans and demons alike.

Notching an arrow and taking aim, Kagome concentrated on all the demons in her path. Only one time had she been able to do this before, killing hundreds of demons with one arrow. If she managed to do it again, she would clear a path straight to Naraku and then Chikara would take her shot. Without a moment's hesitation, Kagome let the arrow go, watching as her pure energy expanded to a twenty foot range, killing any demon that dared to get in its path. She followed closely after it, staying as close as possible and killing any demon that managed to avoid it with another shift shot from her bow. When she was only ten feet away from the vile hanyou, she motioned to the other miko without looking.

Chikara was to wait until Kagome reached Naraku before releasing her arrow, an arrow that would stop the time around them for a matter of seconds. Wrapped around the shaft of the arrow were the numerous sutras that were needed to complete the spell Kagome needed.

The other miko's arrow reached Naraku just moments after Kagome did and then everything was frozen. Both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were stopped mid-attack, as well as everyone else. As Kagome took one quick glance around, she was not surprised to see the Inu Lord fighting against it, though by the time he would free himself, it would already be too late.

Turning a fierce gaze back to Naraku , Kagome pulled out the small dagger that Sango had given to her as a birthday present a couple of months ago and scurried up the half-breeds convoluted form, using his tentacles to pull herself up until she was face to face with him. Glancing down at her watch, she saw that she had 15 seconds left. Without another word, she raised her arm and slammed it into Naraku's chest; blood poured out of him and though she was loath to do, she reached inside his body and pulled out the completed Shikon no Tama. And then it was over.

Time had started again and she stared up into Naraku's shocked and terrified gaze, before turning her back to him, knowing that he had already lost, that there was nothing more he could do. She didn't scream as the combined blasts of the Wind Scar and the Dragons Cry tore into her body and Naraku's and she didn't cry. She merely closed her eyes and whispered a final good bye.

Little sparks flew through her body, slamming into a nerve here and there as she shook with pain. She swore to herself that she was never going to jump in front of a demon sword again. If there ever was an again, that was. If it weren't for the small pulsing she could feel coming from the Shikon no Tama, Kagome would have sworn that she was alone. As it was, she was still fairly sure she was because the pulsing was slowly becoming quieter and quieter, almost as if it was trying to be quiet.

Kagome refused to open her eyes, not just because of the pain, but because she was scared to confirm her where abouts, though she knew there really wasn't any use in denying it. She could feel the ever familiar magic that used to surround her when she went through the well, though she knew that her being there was also impossible, for Naraku had destroyed the well two days before she was killed. So she was scared, no, terrified to see what fate had in hand for her. Vaguely Kagome wondered if she was going to continue being Fates play thing.

Oh how she wanted to move. Kagome felt like she had been lying in the same position for hours even though she knew it had really only been mere moments since she had arrived in this odd place, unable to move a single limb. She wondered why instead of going to heaven or hell she had been sentenced to this place, trapped in a time where there _was_ no time. It wasn't like she had ever done anything that would warrant sending her here, wherever here was.

Sighing, she turned her thoughts back to her final moments and the expressions she had seen on everyone's face. Chikara, though she knew that to sacrifice one life for many was an important thing to do, was still on her knees, sobbing for the loss that she had helped to cause. Miroku stood stunned over Sango, his face pale as he tried to comprehend what she had done. By this point, Shippou and Kirara were unconscious, something she was grateful for; she didn't want her pup having to see her like that. As had been expected, Inuyasha's face had been one of furious none-acceptance as he tossed down the transformed blade and rushed to save her, but the whiplash of the combined attack sent him flying back. The on Sesshoumaru face though, had been the most confusing and perhaps the most interesting. Although there was still a trace amount of anger in his tense body language, it was the slightly widened eyes of shock that had Kagome widening slightly.

Kagome knew that if he had the chance to see her again, he would likely slay her for stealing his chance to kill the hanyou, but Kagome wasn't going to let one person stop her plan and doom them all.

Suddenly there was a faint humming sound, one Kagome had come to recognize has a token of the Jewel's activity. Lying still for what she knew was coming, Kagome was stunned when she heard a strong female voice. With a start she jerked her eyes open and stared into the amused brown orbs of Midoriko.

"Sit up, child. We have a great many things to speak of." Her voice was soft and lulling, giving Kagome a bright sense of understanding and peace.

Sitting up, she was surprised to see that all of her wounds were suddenly healed and she no longer felt any pain. She wondered if that was the stronger Miko's doing. With a shrug, she glanced around, as if looking for someone, before sending a confused glance to Midoriko.

Midoriko laughed slightly, know immediately what the other girl was looking for. "You need not worry about such things, child. It was your sacrifice and purity that helped me to win the battle, purifying the demon in the jewel."

Sitting down until she was eye level with Kagome, Midoriko continued to speak, her voice reminding Kagome of the wind chimes on her mother's front door. "Dear child, you have been through many hardships, yet still you remain pure. You fought a battle that was not yours to fight and sacrificed yourself for a cause that was not yours. This sacrifice will now determine what it is you are bound by fate to do."

Kagome remained silent, knowing there was nothing really that she could say or do, but there was one thing she felt needed to be said. "The cause may not have been mine, Midoriko-sama, but the sacrifice was well worth it. Naraku was an evil being that deserved no quarter and I was not about to let him get away, even if it meant losing my life in the process."

Chocolate brown eyes stared at her with interest, before Midoriko asked the girl another question. "Do you believe your fight ended the way it did because the hanyou was just that, demonic? Do you believe if you were fighting a human that the outcome would be any different?"

"No. Race, youkai or human or whatever else is out there, has nothing to do with it. Even if Naraku had still stayed as the human Onigumo, I would have given my life to protect everyone. Human or demon, no one should be able to cause the kind of pain that Naraku has." Her blue eyes were fierce with emotion and determination to get her point across, causing Midoriko to laugh again.

"Little one, you are certainly an interesting person. A Miko from my time would certainly disagree with you, but after traveling with you for so long in that Jewel, I am forced to acknowledge your ideals. Not all demons are evil. So, little miko, I have come to you with a choice. A future and a possibility." Midoriko stared at the girl intensely, curious to see which choice she would make.

"Because your well has been destroyed, there is no way to take you to your home in the future, though I'm sure you understand that. As it is, you have two options. You can remain with me, living in the jewel and determining who are pure enough to hold the jewel, or you can be once again reincarnated. If you so chose the second of these two decisions, you will be born into a youkai family and until you reach the age of 150, you will have no memories of your travels in this time nor you battle against Naraku. At that time, when you reach 18 in human times, you will gain back all of your knowledge and once again your body will house the jewel."

Listening carefully, Kagome wondered which type of youkai she would be if she were to be reincarnated. To be honest, she wasn't even going to consider the first option, no matter how scary the second one seemed. The idea of being forever trapped in a jewel just did not suit Kagome, not at all.

"However, it will not be removable from your body as it was with this journey. The Shikon will always remain a part of you, a part of your soul. As such, aside from the typical youkai powers, you will still have your miko powers." Midoriko smiled slightly as the girls eyes widened. "Yes. A very dangerous combination you no doubt know. Your new parents will be given the proper directions as to how to raise and protect you, however, aside from that, you will be raised as a normal youkai pup. Aside from that, you will have no more responsibilities from me; only what your new culture will call for."

Kagome knew without a doubt what she would be doing. Closing her eyes for a moment, she hesitated, before looking back over at the other Miko. "Once I regain my memories, will I be allowed to search out those that knew me?"

"Only two. You must choose well, little one, for things change as do people's hearts. You will be given two chances to tell those of your past what has happened and only two. Now, what is your decision?"

Her blue eyes shining brightly and clearly, Kagome smiled. "I will be a youkai."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: To Give A Gift

Shrill cries stretched throughout the corridors of the palace, piecing the many sensitive ears of the youkai that resided there. And although the cries were filled with pain, it was not a foreboding sound; instead, it brought joy to almost all the ones that heard it, including the Inu that currently stayed as a guest, though he would never allow such a thing to show.

For three hours Sesshoumaru sat outside the birthing room, just as the other three lords did. As the four Lords of North, East, South and West, it was their duty to give any child born into the four royal bloodlines a gift, just as their parents before them had. A gift that no matter the strain the child was under throughout his or her life would always remain with them. Some children chose to try and ignore those gifts but most found that it was near to impossible and became quickly accustomed to them.

One final groan drifted through the doors of the birthing room, soon over lapped with that of a newborns cry and call into new life. Glancing at the Lord that sat across from him, Sesshoumaru allowed an amused smirk to drift across his features. It seemed the young Lord finally had a daughter to go along with his three sons. Standing, Sesshoumaru allowed the new father to lead the way into the birthing room, following sedately behind the other Lords.

Already the pup was excited and eager to play, despite the fact that it was no more than ten minutes old. Sesshoumaru was tempted to roll his eyes. Kitsunes. Standing beside Lady Komagi's bed, Sesshoumaru stared at the tiny kit held in gentle arms, wondering what this tiny bundle would do for her world. Would she be forever coddled by overly loving family or would she be forced to leave behind the innocence of childhood within centuries?

Lord Kouga, ruler of the Southern Domains was the first to take the small child in his arms. As was in a wolf's nature, he was awkward, holding the bundle as if he'd rather have never laid eyes on the child. Still, Kouga had a duty to fulfill. "I, Lord Kouga of the Southern Domains and Provinces, hereby give this kit the strength of an Ookami."

And then he was free, passing the child onto Lord Tier, the Tiger that controlled the North. Tier was slightly more at ease with the girl seeing as he had kittens of his own, but even still, it was an odd feeling to hold the life of something so small in the palm of one hand. His hold gentle and hands warm, Tora spoke quietly. "Lord Tier of the North hereby gives this kit the deadly elegance of the Tora."

And then it was his turn. Sesshoumaru took the playful female Kitsune in his hands and stared down at her, his golden eyes smoldering with thought. This was the first time that Sesshoumaru would give the Lord's Gift and so he vaguely wondered if what he had chosen was alright. Again though, it wasn't like he was going to voice that thought. "I, Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands and Domains, as well as those that reside within them, do hereby grant the gift of an Inu's strength of mind to this kit."

Sesshoumaru did not hesitate when he handed the small kit to its father, a bit relieved that such a tiny life was not his to watch over. Of course, there was always Rin, but Sesshoumaru had to wonder about her; sometimes she seemed a bit…too easy to watch over. Pushing away thoughts of the small human child, Sesshoumaru turned his gaze back to Akkei.

"I, Lord Akkei, ruler of the Eastern Lands and Provinces, do hereby grant this Kitsune, my daughter, the gift of intelligence and compassion."

With that, Lord Akkei handed his daughter back to his mate, before ushering the other Lords out of the room, though he was loath to leave his new daughter and mate. As soon as they passed the doors, Akkei stopped and closed them while offering them a small bow at the same time. "I thank you, Sesshoumaru, Kouga and Tier. I am sure that my daughter will grow up strong with your generous gifts."

Tier watched Akkei, an amused smirk growing on the older Lords face as he watched Akkei glance wistfully back at the birthing room. He knew the feeling. "What have you named her, if you don't mind my asking?"

Akkei smiled with pride and beamed at the older Lord. "I do not mind. After all, it's up to you three to provide my daughter with a suitable mate. Her name shall be Kagome."

Tier nodded, unaware of the reactions from the Southern and Western Lords. "An interesting name, Akkei, but then, nothing less is to be expected from one such as you."

At the mention of the name Kagome, Kouga had not been able to hold back the small flinch. Even now, after almost a year had passed since her death, Kouga still felt the effects. How he missed her. Sighing, he returned the bow of the Eastern Lord. "Congratulations, Akkei, but I got to go. I got things to do and mutts to toy with."

Sesshoumaru was not listening as the two Lords spoke, this memory was more one of anger than of…some other type of emotion. The moment the sealing magic of time had touched him, Sesshoumaru had known; he had known what the strange Miko planned to do and the sight of her crawling over the evil hanyou only helped to enforce his thoughts. The Miko had stolen his kill from him. After three years, she had taken so easily something even he had not been able to obtain.

Narrowing his eyes, he let loose an inaudible growl and focused once again on his surroundings and the other lords. It would seem that he and Tier were the only two left. Not surprising. The damnable wolf was never able to stand being in one place for too long, even without the jewel shards from the Tama.

_If I didn't have a reputation to uphold…._he thought mildly.

50 Years Later (Kagome is now 5 years old in human maturation.)

A small giggle escaped her as Kagome looked up at her mother, her blue eyes flashing as they caught the sun. A maid sighed as the child moved, causing the young demon to prick herself on the needle in her hand. Today was the child's birthday and her father had ordered a Kimono especially made for her; it just needed to be hemmed so that Kagome wouldn't trip over it in her play, something the small Kitsune did regularly.

But today was especially important, out of all of the birthday's that Kagome would ever have, this was the most important. Today would be the day that Kagome chose her Life Weapon.

A Life Weapon was a trait of the Kitsune clans, passed down through generations from a time that no one remembered, not even the oldest in the clan. When a young Kitsune child reached his or her 50th year of life, they were given an array of every weapon imaginable, some that people hadn't even heard of. Once the child chose their weapon, that was to be the main medium in which the child would be trained; of course, they would also get knowledge on other weapons available, but their Life Weapon was to be the weapon that they relied on the most, aside from natural weapons such as claws and poison. If a person were to ever lose their Life Weapon, they would become greatly weakened until it was fixed. If their weapon were to ever be broken beyond repair, then they would parish along with the weapon.

Yes, today was definitely important.

Finally the maid was done and she smiled up at the fidgeting child, before lightly patting her head. "There you go Kagome-sama. All finished."

"Yay!" Smiling brightly, she jumped off the stool and ran to her mother. "Look Mama! Isn't it pwetty? Fumiko-san made it pwetty fow me, Mama!"

The young demon blushed at the complement from the little Mistress, too embarrassed to say or do anything else. She was new on the staff and still had yet to get accustomed to Kagome-sama's actions, let alone her kind treatment of the servants. Everyone that worked in the household though said that the girl was a little angel, always nice to the help and making sure if they ever decided to leave that her father gave them a good reference.

Kagome-sama was always a pleasure to be around and Fumiko was glad that she had been hired to train and help the little girl. Previously, Fumiko had been working in a noble's house but she had quit because of the odd actions of the bear youkai. Coming here, to the Eastern Citadel, Fumiko had been lucky to learn that the position of Kagome-sama's personal maid and protector was open. Fumiko wasn't one to brag, but she had beat every other youkai trying for the position, with the exception of one. It had been a tie between the two, Fumiko and another Inu, but a male.

Lord Akkei had hired them both. Fumiko was to be Kagome-sama's personal lady, and Kuro-san was to be her trainer. It would be both of their jobs to protect the little Lady.

"I see that, Otome. What do you say?" Lady Komagi smiled down at the child, leaning forward to pat the small girl on the head. "You must always be polite, my Kagome."

Grinning sheepishly, Kagome turned to face Fumiko again, before bowing. "Thank-you Fumiko-san for making my Kimono pwetty!" Standing again, Kagome smiled at Fumiko, before turning back to her mother. "Can we go yet Mama? I wanna show Father how pwetty my Kimono is!"

Again Lady Komagi smiled at Kagome's enthusiasm, before slipping her comb-blade back into her hair and standing. She reached down to pick up the child, but Kagome danced out of her mother's reach, an impish smile on her face. "Mama can't catch me!" And then she raced out of the room, her mother close behind her as Kagome let loose peals of laughter.

Fumiko watched in stunned silence, having never been bowed to by one of her masters, before a small, gratified smile drifted onto her face. Taking her time as she followed the two Ladies of the House, Fumiko caught up with Kuro-san, who shared her smile.

"She is an interesting child," he said, letting his gaze follow the two ahead of them.

Fumiko didn't reply, having already figured that out for herself. Yes, she would be glad to serve the young Mistress of the House.

"Father!" squealed Kagome, interrupting a meeting of the council as she bounced into the reception hall. Paying no attention to the few disapproving frowns that followed her as she made her way to her father's seat, Kagome bounced into her father's lap. "Father, Father! Looky! Fumiko-san made my kimono even pwettwere than it aweady was! See! Isn't it pwetty, Father?"

Lord Akkei grinned down at his daughter, amused at her antics. Her new kimono certainly was beautiful and whatever the small Inu had done had made it even more appealing. "Yes, my daughter, your kimono is wonderful."

Kagome grinned up at him, before scampering out of his lap and turning to face the table of delegates, her small face losing any amount of childish happiness. Putting her hands together over her stomach, she bowed. "Please pawdon the innerwuption Eastern Dewegates. Tank-you for helping my father in making his decisions."

Needles to say, the delegates were shocked. Never before had a youngster bowed to them as she was doing now and never had one spoken to them with such maturity. Vaguely they wondered if the girl even knew of her slight speech impediment because they had never met a child that wasn't embarrassed by such things, let alone a girl like her who didn't even seem to care that she could not pronounce her 'R's' correctly.

One of the Delegates could not help the small chuckled that escaped him at the child's words and he offered up a nod of acceptance to the girl. The oldest of the youkai gathered, Raft inclined his head to the girl, curiosity getting the best of him; he was a Kitsune after all.

"My dear child, do you know yet which weapon you will choose as your life?"

Kagome grinned and scurried forward until she was standing right in front of the man, the outermost folds of the kimono brushing against the tray of food in front of him. "I'm gonna choose a--"

Akkei interrupted with a grin, stretching out his fluffy tail until he had little Kagome nestled in the warmth of it and once again by his side. "Now, now, Raft, my friend, you know you mustn't trick the child into telling you. I'm sure you're as excited as the rest of the court, but you can wait until later tonight when she decides, just like everyone else."

Raft grinned sheepishly while a few of the other Delegates smirked and shook their heads at the elder Kitsunes antics. Really, did the Lord never learn?

"Yes," Raft muttered good naturedly, letting out an exaggerated sigh as he watched Kagome snuggled deeply into her father's furs. A thought occurred to him and determined to get at least one answer out of the young Lord, Raft grinned again and leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees as another grin split across his face. "Tell me, as she mastered her transformation yet?"

There was a stunned silence as the other Delegates stared at Raft in amusement. While some thought it common place to ask such a question, it actually wasn't. To ask a Youkai if they had managed to master their true form yet was like asking master swords man if he had managed to remember all his tricks. Vaguely the other Eastern Delegates wondered if there was to be a sudden opening in the position that Raft held.

Kagome blinked cursorily at the question, wondering why she wouldn't have mastered her true form yet. Confused, she glanced up at her father before an impish smile danced across her features and she wiggled out of her father's furs. Landing in a crouch, she sent another grin in the direction of Raft, before backing up a few steps so that there was room and so that the other youkai in the room wouldn't be affected by her yōki. Because despite the fact that Kagome was still only a child, she knew that the level of her yōki could rival that of some of the much older demons in the room. After all, aside from her father, these youkai were all lower class youkai, some barely even strong enough to face against Fumiko-san.

Making sure to keep her crystal eyes on Raft, Kagome felt the red bleed into them, satisfied by the startled smirk on his face, though she knew it was because of her level of yōki and not fear of her features, it was still amusing. Reaching deep within herself, she took a steady hold of her inner core, her strength, her being and pulled it all out at once, wrapping herself in it. First her small fangs elongated and her claws lengthened, as deadly looking as they now were. Within moments, Kagome no longer looked human as she stood on four legs, her black fur elegant and smooth looking, blending nicely with the white markings under her eyes and around her legs.

Glancing at her father, a happy growl escaped her lips before she pounced on Lord Raft. Considering she was the size of a small tiger, ((A/N – Think Kirara)) Kagome was easily able to sit on Rafts chest, holding him down with nothing but her new body weight. Setting pensive blue eyes on him, another growl escaped her before she began to lap at his face, by her father's order.

Laugher erupted in the room as the tension faded and Raft tried to block his face from Kagome's enthusiastic licking. After all, Kagome always followed her father's orders, even if he didn't say them out loud. Letting out another amused growl, Kagome jumped away from him and into her father's lap, changing back to her humanoid form with a peal of laughter.

"Now then," said Lord Akkei, an impish grin that matched Kagome's perfectly on his face, "Let's wrap this up so that we can all enjoy my kit's birthday, yes?"

Chatter filled the ballroom, the atmosphere warm and welcoming, filled with pleasant tricks from other Kitsunes that wished to make Kagome's day all the more entertaining. There were other children running around the room, chasing each other and using their own developing powers in order to win. The adults stood amongst themselves, some talking quietly while others were more rambunctious.

Hundreds of tables stood against the outer edges of the ballroom, pressed up against the walls, but hardly anyone paid them any attention, except for maybe a few other curious kits. There was no point, after all, you couldn't eat something that could likely cut you in half; all the tables were covered in any kind of weapon imaginable, from swords and bows and staffs to sling shots and needles, dagger combs and other such things. Any weapon that Kagome could possibly decide to use was on this table.

For the first time since she had been born, the four Lords were once again gathered, though there was no talking. They sat at the head of the room, their mates, those that had them, standing beside their chairs.

Finally, Akkei stood and raised a hand; the talking in the room stopped immediately and the children stopped playing, growing eager in anticipation for what they knew was coming. "My fellow youkai, I thank you for joining us at such an important time in my daughter's life. As most of you may or may not know, when a Kitsune pup reaches his or her 50th year of life, they are allowed to choose a Life Weapon. So, without further ado…Kagome."

There was a loud silence, before clapping broke out amongst the youkai, an almost cheerful buzz blasting throughout the room. Kagome stood behind her mother's legs, peeping out at the large crowd, a deep red blush converging on her pale cheeks.

Lady Komagi blinked down at the small claws digging into her leg through the heavy folds of her Kimono, surprised and a little unsure of what to do. Kagome had never been so shy before but then again, she'd also never been put on the spot in front of quite so many people. Glancing up at Akkei, she was surprised to see his confused shrug as they both studied their daughter. A thought occurred to her then and Lady Komagi turned her gaze to Lord Sesshoumaru. Although the Lady had never quite been able to understand, Kagome had always had a fascination with the Inu Youkai, begging to see him whenever he came to the Eastern Citadel on business. Komagi hesitated for only a moment more, before stepping forward and bowing to the dog.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, would you mind…walking with Kagome as she chooses her weapon?"

Sesshoumaru turned his golden eyes to the small kit, now hiding behind her father's legs and refusing to look at him. Interesting. As long as he had known the child, basically her entire life, he had never seen the small Kit so shy. Glancing back at the waiting crowd, Sesshoumaru could understand why the tiny kit would be scared, but he didn't approve of it. Without a word he stood and stepped off the large dais, the other two Lords watching him curiously as Akkei watched his daughter, who followed Sesshoumaru without hesitation.

He could feel the child behind him as he approached the first table, the three swords at his waist bumping against the sides of his legs. Patiently he waited for Kagome and when he realized that she likely could not even see over the edge of the table, he hesitated for only a moment before stooping over and picking her up, holding her as 

awkwardly as he had when she was a new born. When the child offered up a small embarrassed apology, he did not reply, finding nothing to apologize for.

Silence filled the room as the other youkai stared at the Inu Lord, not sure how to react to the Inu's actions.

There were about to the third table when Kagome felt something, a force she had never felt before yet one that felt so familiar it was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. It seemed to call for, pleading a power that only she could yield, that she was the only one _it_ would yield to. She glanced around the room, squirming in Sesshoumaru's arms until she felt him tighten his grip on her. "Can I get down Sesshoumawu-sama?" she asked, deciding she would just have to investigate on her own. He acquiesced, merely raising an eyebrow in question.

But Kagome did not answer as she ran from table to table, using her speed to make the process much faster as she soon forgot about her shyness. Squirming between legs and running around from table to table, Kagome became more and more confused. She just couldn't figure out where the power was calling her from. Close to tears, she glanced back at Sesshoumaru-sama, who was watching her with his normal emotionless eyes, though she thought she could see a spark of curiosity in those golden eyes of his. It occurred to Kagome then that the further she stepped away from Sesshoumaru-sama, the less powerful the force that called her became. So that would mean the force was coming from him…

It took her no less than a second to be standing before him and idly he wondered why she was staring at him with such solemn blue eyes. It was then he noticed that the small Kitsunes eyes were not on him exactly, but the swords at his waist, more specifically, the tattered one that he would never be able to wield. Narrowing his eyes, he was about to return to his seat, deciding that he had fulfilled the Eastern Lady's request, when she called out to him and before he could slap the child's hands away, she was resting them on the bottom of the sheath, the only part she could reach. He waited for the jolt of electricity that would teach her not to touch things that did not belong to her, but it never came.

"Sesshoumawu-sama, where did you get this fang?" she asked softly. If it wasn't for the slight mispronunciation of his name, he would have thought that he was talking to an adult for all the maturity she showed. Gone was the laughter from her childish eyes, the impish curiosity and the child-like wonder.

Sesshoumaru tilted his head to the side, though it wasn't at all noticeable he knew, before he finally answered the child. Inwardly he was just as curious to see where she would go with her questions. "It was my father's before being passed to my half-brother. It now belongs to this Sesshoumaru."

Before he could add anything else, for the first time in decades Sesshoumaru felt the blade throb with life, with an energy that was so different from its original form that at first he wasn't sure it was even the Tetsusaiga. He raised an eyebrow silently as Tenseiga pulsed in response, synching with the blade. Turning his gaze to the child, he watched as a glow began to surround the girl before the pulsing seemed to transfer to her. Interesting…

Resting his hand on the hilt of Tetsusaiga, he was surprised when the blade did not reject him but instead sent a warm, soothing feeling throughout his body. Carefully pulling the sword out of its sheath, he held it up in front of him, examining the blade closely. Aside from the soothing feeling now coursing throughout his body, Sesshoumaru could sense nothing wrong with the blade. Turning his gaze to the child, he sighed and crouched before her.

Without a word, he grasped the small hands holding onto the sheath and pulled her close to him, before turning her around so that her back was facing him. Pushing her legs apart slightly so that she would have a more stable stance, he brought the sword forward and wrapped her hands around the hilt. He was not surprised when the blade transformed the moment her fingers wrapped around the hilt. Her childish surprise and wonder exploded, filling the room with excitement as she stared at the large fang in her hands.

"Hn."

At the other end of the room, Akkei, Kouga and Tier watched, each more amazed than the other. They knew where the sword had come from, knew the powers the blade held, knew the katana would repel any full blooded youkai. Yet here was Kagome, full blood Kitsune, holding the transformed Tetsusaiga with Sesshoumaru.

When his daughter had first touched the blade, Akkei had been tempted to rush over and attack Sesshoumaru for letting his daughter come so close to being harmed. Only a glance from Komagi had stopped him. Now he stood as shocked as everyone else in the room, trying to determine what it was that was happening. First, never had he seen Lord Sesshoumaru so openly touch a child, let along somebody else. Secondly, Akkei could not remember a day since Sesshoumaru was brought the sword that he had let anyone else touch it.

"Sesshoumawu-sama?" Kagome asked, leaning back to look at him, "Why awe you letting me hold you swod?"

Sesshoumaru turned his gaze to the child before him, before releasing the girls hands and pulling the katana with him, slipping it back into its battered sheath. Studying the girl, he slowly began to untie the sword from his waist and pulled it away from the other two. Holding it out to her, he let a small smirk drift across his features.

"It does not belong to this Sesshoumaru any longer."

There was a stunned silence, before Kagome slowly reached up and took the sword from him, her small pudgy fingers holding the thing gently, before she bowed, a blush on her cheeks.

"Tank-you Sesshoumawu-sama! I will take good care of it!"

Sesshoumaru watched silently as she approached her father and bowed again, before standing straight and looking him in the eye. Slowly her yōki leaked out of her, flowing around her body and wrapping around the old katana. Instead of the typical red color that most youkai's yōki was, Kagome's was a pale shining silver with small little sparks of blue floating throughout. "I choose this katana as my Life Weapon. We awe now one."

More silence permeated the air, before Lord Akkei smiled at his daughter and nodded, before placing his hand on her head and mixing a small amount of his own yōki with hers. And then the ceremony was completed. Clapping and loud cheers filled the room, before most everyone bowed to Kagome and her father.

Making his way back to his seat next to Tier, Sesshoumaru watched the celebration silently, refusing to comment when questioned about giving the girl his father's fang, the fang he had coveted for so long. After 30 odd years of having held the fang and being unable to use it, Sesshoumaru did not really see the point in keeping it. He was sure his father would not mind the fact that he had given the blade to a Kitsune as a Life Weapon. Besides, now the girl would be indebted to him for the rest of her life; it wasn't everyday one received a fang from the great dog general, even if it wasn't given in person from Inu no Tashio. Yes, Sesshoumaru decided, the girl would definitely prove useful in later years.

7 Years Later (About 6 in human maturation.)

Kagome ran through the underbrush, slashing away at branches and vines in her way. Behind her she could hear the ragged breathing of the creature chasing her, could tell that it was tiring and would soon launch a final attack. It was almost time then.

Lifting her nose to the air, she veered to the left, jumping over a fallen log before skidding to a stop in the center of a clearing. The moment she turned around to face it, the creature bounded into the clearing.

It stopped on the other side of the clearing, glaring at her with its red crazed eyes. Watching him with a hint of curiosity in her eyes, Kagome waited patiently for him to attack. The creature was massively huge, towering over 

her a good 15 feet. The color of its skin was an ugly brick red and extremely scaly, a few patches of dirty blond hair here and there, but most of the scraggly mess was attached to his oversize, bulbous head. He held a club in one hand and a blade the same height as her, stained from blood. Narrow waist and with massive legs, the shape of his body was the only thing that resembled a humanoid form.

Within moments the ugly red oni attacked, swinging its spiked club in a downward arch, followed by a harsh attack of its giant blade. Kagome easily jumped out of the way, running between his legs and jumping to the other side of the clearing, waiting for it to attack again. And it did, much more quickly than she had anticipated, tossing its club at her. Scowling, Kagome leaped forward and onto the weapon, running up the length of it, she took one jump and landed on the creature's shoulder, before pulling out a small dagger and stabbing it into the oni's eye.

Before she could get away from the thing, it reached up brushed her off its shoulder, sending her flying to the ground with a thud as she rolled to keep from extensively hurting herself. Still, she was sure that the fall had managed to break her wrist. Annoyed now, Kagome pushed herself up and without waiting for her wrist to heal, she drew the Tetsusaiga, watching as it instantly transformed for her. Jumping up, she dived down towards the creature, a wicked smirk on her features as she whispered one word. "Kongōsōha!"

The moment the word left her mouth, tiny white lines began to form on the blade in the shape of little diamonds, before swinging off the blade and slamming into the tough hide of the oni. It screamed out in pain as the tiny little shards dug into its skin and sent her one more evil glare, before the tiny little shards of energy exploded within the oni, turning his body into nothing but chunks of blood and guts, a lot of which covered Kagome.

"Oh, yuck!" she muttered, letting the blade droop until it touched the ground. Glancing down at herself, Kagome frowned, before jerking to attention as she sensed another presence. "Who's there?!"

When no one answered, Kagome realized immediately that whoever was there before had left. Annoyed, she quickly picked up Tetsusaiga and sheathed it, before grinning and taking chase. Despite her senses, the only thing that Kagome could tell was that the other person was a youkai and that it had no evil intents towards her. This was even more curious to her considering that most any youkai that she came into contact with in the forest tried to use her in order to get to her father.

Smiling, she crouched slightly and jumped into the trees, going from branch to branch as she chased the one who watched her. As a child she still wasn't the best at sensing things, so as she came to the end of the forest and came face to face with a group of hunters, Kagome froze too stunned to do much of anything.

The hunters were just as stunned as she was, but they made no move to attack her, merely stared at her, weapons steadied incase _she_ attacked. Unsure for a moment, she went to take a step forward, only to stop at the scathing voice of one of the men closest to her.

"Don't move youkai!" he said softly, glaring at her over the top of his mask, he raised his scythe and prepared to attack her.

Kagome was about to unleash an attack of her own in defense, but stopped at the sound of a female voice directly behind her. She tensed and was tempted to turn and face the woman, but she decided it was better to have the one person at her back than the five in front of her. She realized almost immediately though that she wasn't going to have to worry about being attacked at all.

"Yōushi! What have I told you?! You don't attack a youkai just because they appear in front of you." The woman's voice was old and filled with anger. "Especially such a young one as her."

Kagome could feel the woman's eyes on her and hear the wisdom in her voice, something she had never heard from a human. But then again, considering Kagome had never encountered a human before, she supposed she wasn't one to go to on such matters.

Though she didn't realize it, Kagome was shaking, filled with fear at the idea that she wasn't going to be able to go home again, that she would never be able to see Fumiko-san, Kuro-san or her parents ever again. Underneath the blood and gore that covered her, her skin had paled to an unnatural color. The fear of being surrounded by humans was much worse than the when she had fought the oni, though she had been scared as well when fighting the monster, she had forced herself to push past it and focus on the task that her father had set her. This however, was the breaking straw for Kagome and she couldn't help herself as she let out a tearful wail and fell to her bottom.

"Waaahhhh!!"

The hunters stared at her in surprise, having never seen a youkai, not even a child, cry before. As Kagome continued to cry, her arms hanging limply as tears poured down her cheeks, before a she felt a large warmth enveloped her. Kagome tensed, getting ready to struggle, but stopped as a soothing voice began to whisper in her ear. She hesitated for just a moment, before snuggling into the woman's chest.

"Hush now, little one," said the old woman as she walked away from the group of hunters, her gait slow and even, her body relaxed and yet prepared. The perfect hunter.

Kagome didn't watch where they were going as the old lady carried her away from the group of hunters. She was still shaking in the woman's arms but her tears had stopped. When she felt the woman push aside a curtain and the warm atmosphere of a fire, Kagome peeked out at her surroundings, wiping away her tears with her small clawed hands.

Compared to some of the huts that the demons outside the palace lived in, this one was rather large though it still only held the bare necessities. Before Kagome could look around anymore, she felt the old lady lift her up and found herself standing in front of the fire. Scared of being away from the warmth the woman exuded, Kagome tensed and looked around hurriedly for the woman, her eyes widening at the sight of her.

Although Kagome thought the woman's voice had sounded old, it was nothing compared to how she looked. Her tan skin was baggy around the neck and lined with wrinkles and age spots. The woman's hair was a brilliant silvery gray, thick and tied in a high ponytail with a pink band, the same color pink as the guards on her shoulders, waist and shins. The black cat suit didn't show a single ounce of loose skin as she bent over a small shrine and offered up a prayer.

Finally, the woman turned her gaze back to Kagome or rather, the sword at Kagome's side.

"I am Sango. What is your name?"

She hesitated for only a moment, before turning to face the old woman fully, a determined look in her eyes as she rested a hand on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. "Kagome."

The bowl Sango held slipped out of her hand and smashed to the ground, pottery shards flying everywhere. She stared at the little girl in front of her, with her blue eyes and black hair and the sword. Kami, something really weird was going on. Why would a Kitsune girl named Kagome have Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga? It just didn't make any sense. The last time she had seen the demon fang was 30 years ago, when Miroku had given it to Lord Sesshoumaru after Inuyasha's death.

"I-I'm sorry," Sango muttered as she kneeled down to pick up the broken pieces, mindless of her shaking hands. It hurt Sango to hear that name after so many years had passed.

Kagome studied the old woman, wondering what had caused her to drop the bowl, before kneeling and reaching out to help, only to stop at the presence of the youkai she had sensed earlier. She stumbled backwards and 

tensed, Tetsusaiga already half-way out of its sheath before she was suddenly shoved backwards and through the wall of the hut, scudding through the dirt before rolling stunned to lay on her back, blinking owlishly at the clear blue sky. _What…._

After a few stunned seconds of lying there, Kagome tried to move but realized her back was broken, leaving her paralyzed for a couple of minutes until it healed. _Father, why aren't you helping me…_she thought, feeling tears rise again. As they had left the Citadel that morning, Lord Akkei said that he would always be within range if she were unable to handle her task and yet…he wasn't here. Kagome remembered then the way she had so easily clung to Sango, how easily she let herself be tricked even further into enemy camp. Of course her father wouldn't come, not when Kagome had been so stupid as to allow herself to be tricked into enemy territory.

"Gah!! Ship, I can't believe you just did that to a 6 year old!" screeched Sango, her voice loud and rising in volume as she came closer to Kagome.

"But she attacked you Sango! I'm not going to stand—"

"For the last time, Ship, she didn't attack me! I was just startled by something she said!"

And then Sango was kneeling beside her, her old wrinkled face set into a worried mask as she reached out to touch the girl, make sure she was alright.

But Kagome wouldn't let her, letting loose a feral growl that even her father would be surprised at. Letting some of you yōki loose, Kagome was able to speed up the healing process and leaned forward to snap her fangs into the humans hand. Before she could do so however, Sango merely reached behind her and grasped the hem of Kagome's kimono and stood, holding the small girl out in front of her so that she was facing the other youkai.

The moment Kagome spotted what he was, she could only stare in open mouthed surprise. Another Kitsune! He stood much taller than her, with bright orange hair and shining emerald eyes. Just from a glance she could tell that he was at least a few hundred years old; and powerful. Kami was he powerful.

"Apologize Shippo, for throwing Kagome through the wall like that. You're lucky she's a youkai, otherwise you could have killed her."

The male Kitsune turned his gaze to Kagome, the brilliant green eyes widening slightly at her name. Quickly looking back up at Sango, she nodded slightly, as if confirming his thoughts. So that meant that he had just back handed an innocent child. He bowed to her, never taking his eyes off her face. The resemblance, despite her childish features, was remarkable.

Kagome wasn't quite sure why, but something about the way the two were acting around her bugged her, as if they weren't really seeing her when looked. Deciding that it was time to leave, she let loose a small snarl, startling Sango into dropping her, before jumping a few feet away from them ready to fight if need be.

But Sango and Shippo had no intention of fighting the small kit. Sango however, had one small question for the girl.

"Kagome-chan…where did you get that katana?"

Surprised, Kagome glanced down at the old sword, a small blush forming on her cheeks as she thought about it. To this day she still remembered the way Sesshoumaru-sama had helped her, had given her his precious family heirloom. "Sesshoumaru-sama gave it to me as a gift," she said finally, knowing better than to tell them that it was her Life Weapon.

"I see."

Shippo studied the girl, watching the way she moved, her body language, listening to the way she pronounced her words, before it hit him. The black hair and blue eyes, not only were they a reminder of his Kagome, there were stark traits to a certain Kitsune, Lord Akkei. His eyes widening in horror at what he had done to the girl, he dropped to one knee and folded an arm in front of his chest, offering up a formal bow to the girl. Although he had heard that the Lady of the East had given birth to a girl about 5 or 6 decades ago, it never occurred to him that this could possibly be the girl.

"Forgive me, Lady Kagome, for the slight I have done you. Please know that I have always pledged my loyalties and skills to your father, Lord Akkei of the Eastern Domains."

Sango looked from Shippo to Kagome, who merely nodded in acceptance, before mimicking Shippo's actions and kneeling before the little girl. She was too stunned to do anything, but still she wondered about the sword.

"I'll tell my father," Kagome replied, allowing her stance to relax slightly. Perhaps they didn't want to fight. Turning to look at the kneeling woman, Kagome felt a small blush rise to her cheeks, having never become accustomed to the fact that people would bow to her, even at 57 years old. Fumiko-san thought it was amusing. Kagome could sense the old woman's curiosity about the sword but she didn't really understand it, so she turned back to look at Shippo. "I wish you wouldn't do that," she said finally, becoming too uncomfortable to ignore the sight of them kneeling on the ground.

Shippo smiled, before standing, asking a question before Kagome could say anything else. "Why did you follow me? When you're fighting that oni I mean."

She blinked, before smiling slightly at the thought. "Because I was curious. For the first time in ages I was out alone with another powerful youkai nearby who wasn't going to try and kidnap me. I…wanted to meet you."

Both Sango and Shippo burst out with laughter, so amused by this that they had to hold their sides to keep from laughing too much. To think, that a child would encounter another demon that wouldn't kidnap her so she chased after it. "Kid," Sango called, resting a hand on her bony hip, "You sure are brave to step into a camp full of demon hunters."

Before Kagome could reply, a massive yōki filled the area, swamping down on Shippo and Sango like weights on a scrawny kid. Shippo immediately dropped to his knees again, recognizing the signature power as that of Kagome's father, Lord Akkei, pulling Sango down with him. The Demon Lords range of yōki was amazing, converging within a 200 mile radius and Shippo was betting that it wasn't even half the youkai's power. Gulping, he bowed his head even further, a sign of submission for what he knew was a demand of dominance from the elder demon.

"Kagome."

"Father! I did what you asked! The oni that was troubling the vill--

"Enough," he said quietly, startling Kagome because he never used his quiet voice. "You disobeyed my orders, Kit. You were to kill the oni and then return to the palace. And yet I find you here, in the presence of a hunter and another Kit, one whom I might add, you let attack you so pitifully."

"But papa!" she cried, using the less formal form of the word without realizing it.

"No buts. We're leaving now and you will receive your punishment when we return to the Citadel." His voice was still quiet and stern, hiding the anger and fear for his daughter's life. He never wanted to come so close to losing her again. He turned his gaze to male Kitsune, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Youkai or not, you would do well to remember your station, Kitsune. For I will not be as easy to defeat as my insolent whelp has been." With that, he turned and walked away, pulling Kagome along with him by the wrist.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Review responses at bottom of chapter. Also, I've been told by certain people that I'm going a bit too quickly with the story and that certain things just don't make sense. I'd love to hear your opinions on this...

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Chapter Three: To Ask For Help (A Week Before Kagome's 150th Year.)

It wasn't right. She wasn't supposed to look like this, so weak and helpless. Just the sight of her lit a fury inside of him that he didn't understand and wasn't sure he wanted to. She lay there, spread on the ground with her knees and waist to one side as her torso almost seemed to stretch in the opposite direction. Her arm was twisted under her in an awkward position that he knew would stop the healing process. Her normally tanned face was pale, almost human looking with deep cuts where the marks of her linage normally were. There was a wound on her right side, blood dripping sluggishly into the leaf strewn ground, hard from the approaching winter. On her left wrist was the dark metal of demon manacles, meant to prevent the use of yōki, the chain trailing a good foot before it was buried from sight beneath the leafs. The deep cuts on her other wrist brought to him the conclusion that both hands had been bound. Her legs, though as pale as her face, were left unharmed or were already healed. Already he could see the wound on her side slowing its bleeding.

Sesshoumaru stared down at the girl impassively, wondering why he cared so much about a kit almost a good decade his junior. A kit that had the audacity to defy him at every turn, bringing him more irritation than any other being he had ever had the annoyance to meet. A mere slip of a girl that despite her age had a level of power that came close to his. A worthy ally. A brave warrior. And as of late, a strong leader.

But now her Kingdom lay in ruins, the slaughter of her people strong even from this distance. He could hear the laughter and raucous noise of the soldiers that hat lied and betrayed her, soldiers she helped train and who owed their lives to her. Their scent though, was nowhere near as powerful as that of their enemy, the evil creature withwhom they had aligned themselves with.

Without a second thought, Sesshoumaru knelt beside the girl and picked her up carefully, not at all surprised or hindered by her weight. Light and petite, he wondered how she managed to wield Tetsusaiga. Remembering the sword, he spotted it nearby, encased in the ground and surrounded by the skeleton of what he guessed was her pursuer. Narrowing his eyes, he walked forward and without hesitation reached forward and grabbed the thin, battered sword, pleased that it did not shock him anymore. The girl had shown him this phenomenon many decades earlier, when she was merely 120 years old. With her stormy blue eyes she silently asked him if he was going to take it back and his molten golden ones easily replied no. It was more her blade now than it would have ever been his.

Letting out an inaudible sigh, he turned and left the small copse he'd found the Eastern Lady in, heading West towards his own home. Despite her healing abilities, he knew that Kagome would be unable to move actively after whatever it was she had been through. However, just because she couldn't move did not mean that she would not be able to talk and he was determined to get the story out of her, consequences be damned. He would help her to heal, she would tell him what in the bloody hell was going on and he would help her get her kingdom back.

The fire flickered brightly through the night, lighting up the edges of the room in a rosy glow that was both comforting and disconcerting at the same time. It brushed against the far corners and reflected against the soft angles of her cheeks, shadowing the hollows and giving more definition than was normally there. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, dark ebony curls hanging down by her ears and absorbing the flickering light. Glancing quickly at the pale, silver haired man next to her, she wondered once again why she was here.

Technically, she knew it was to heal, to let herself grow stronger in order to fight the people who stole from her something that should never have left her swift fingers. Inwardly she flinched, blaming herself for all that had happened. Finally, turning bleak blue eyes to Sesshoumaru, Kagome began her story.

_Kagome's Story:_

"_It all started over 40 years ago, when my youngest brother, Kion went to the Northern Lands as an emissary to settle a treaty between the Northand the East, a treaty that was going to benefit the both of us. For two years, everything was fine and going according to plan. Kion was to come home within a couple of weeks after being away for so long. _

_But then a messenger arrived and with him he brought horrible news. Kion was dead, killed by a guard who was defending himself. Apparently Kion was trying to arrest the guard, framing the innocent bear youkaifor actions that he himself had committed, such as high treason and planning to commit regicide. Not of the Northern Lord, Tier, but of our own Lord, my father. The truth was that it was the guard attempting to arrest Kion, force him into admitting the wrongs he had committed. The guard's plan was to not even tell Lord Tier but to bring my brother straight back to the Eastern Lands to let my father deal with him. _

_You see, apparently the guard was a spy for the Southern Lands and Lord Kouga, assigned to keep an eye on Lord Tier and the actions that were being commenced. Actions that, had I known sooner what was going to happen, I would havebeen prepared to deal with. You see, the enemy that Kionhad allied himself with is a being that I cannot even describe, one that had my men shuddering on a hot summer day. I haveonly seen him once and even now, if it weren't for the fact that I know what my duty and responsibilities are, I would never want to see him again. As far as I can tell, he has no real body, merely shifting from body to body in order to survive. From what I've been able to gather, he feeds of his host's life force, whether they be human, miko, youkai or something more. It was highly disconcerting. _

_As you may know, my Father died soon after, maybe 5 years at most in a battle against Lord Tier whom we discovered that by that point no longer had control of his lands nor his mind. In the end, they killed each other. As you may know, my mother died over 60 years ago in childbirth, along with the child. My eldest brother, whom would be around your age by now was killed while aboard and my middle brother was killed in a dual for the hand of a Southern Lady. With my entire immediate family dead, I stepped forward and have been leading the Eastern Lands for 3 decades. This you know as well, as you were at the coronation ceremony. Rowe, my eldest brother, was the last to die and he left everything to me. _

_Ten weeks ago a missionary approached my borders and gates, seeking refuge from the storms that brewed outside. When we allowed him through the gates however, the truth came out and it was that he was a messenger, carrying a declaration of War from the, until then, un-ruled Northern Lands. A declaration that stated if the Eastern Lands did not comply withthe new Northern ruler and submit to their will, then the citadel would be slaughtered and its people withit. They would then rebuild and add onto what has now become an empire of slavery, betrayal and death. _

_Naturally I refused, underestimating the mysterious new Lord. Because of the way he delivered his message, I assumed he was too cowardly to actually commit with his actions. I was proved wrong when a week later a village on the farthest most border closest to the North was burned to the ground, its people with it. Only one person survived and they were fated to live only long enough to deliver another message before dying as well. _

_I…I felt horrible for letting that happen, for allowing my people to be slaughtered like animals. Needless to say I took action immediately, gathering most if not all of the soldiers to the citadel at once. Two weeks went by before they were ready for battle but at such short notice I could not ask for more. So far the North had been silent, issuing no more attacks and nothing that raised any questions. Again I was wrong. Before I knew what was going on, they the Citadel was surrounded. Hundreds of thousands of men, more than I could see or count, gathered around us, jumping the wall and slamming against the thick wooden doors that opened into the market place, where all the soldiers camped, waiting for our departure. _

_Knowing better by now than to underestimate this new creature, I evacuated the city and nearly the entire Eastern Lands of all who could not fight, sending them to the South and some to the West, though I found they were turned away and ended up in the South as well. Knowing we had no chance, I opened the gates and issued my orders. I refused to go down without a fight and shame my father and founders, those who helped me get to my position. At _

_first we did well, pushing back the first few surges. But out of nowhere came more and more, joining the enemy and giving us an even worse disadvantage. I knew there was no way to win. By then, days had passed and my soldiers were exhausted, losing their will to fight. I…ended up meeting with the representative of the North, knowing I would not meet the new Lord here on the battle field, the coward he was. We arranged a deal. My life in exchange for the lives of my soldiers._

_Six weeks I spent in captivity until a bird landed on the sill of the barred window in my cell. Easily it slipped through the bars and transformed into an elegant looking male. He seemed to study me for a few minutes, before smiling. Without explanation, he easily broke the chains on my wrists and kicked down the wall. I was at a complete loss because the entire cell was supposed to demon proof. Eventually I came to the conclusion that he had somehow either disarmed the enchantments making it like that or was not a demon. _

_Almost immediately my escape was noticed and we were forced to fight, hence the wounds. I did not want to abandon my savior, but one look told me that was exactly what he wanted me to do. Still, I stayed and fought until most if not all of the guards lay dead or injured in the courtyard. The entire time the man who helped me remained silent, offering no words of explanation. Finally, when there was a calm in the fighting, he pointed away from the battle and I knew it was time to leave. Quickly I traveled to my lands and found the large city in ruins, my men chained and working in a line on something that I could not see. _

_Apparently someone sensed my presence despite the masking spells I used because I was attacked from behind. I fought as hard as I could but obviously I did not walk away unharmed. Desperate, I turned and began to head to the West, thinking you might be able to offer your assistance." _

* * *

Finally, Kagome turned her full glance to Sesshoumaru, an accusatory look in her eyes. Her fists were shaking in anger and her yōki danced around her, flaring in little controlled spurts. The emotions in those deep blue orbs spoke so obviously of revenge and action that he knew he would not be able to stop her if he tried, no matter what her plan may be.

"I want to know why you turned away my citizens, why you remained out of my reach. All four Lords signed a contract centuries ago, before even Lord Tier's time. A contract where each Lord or Lady promised to help neighboring lands in times of need." She narrowed her eyes at him, the deep sapphire color dancing with anger and the smallest traces of confusion. "Yet you were nowhere to be found. Explain."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, disbelieving that the girl would talk to him as such. He knew of the contract well, understood its meaning well. He stayed away because his own lands were in as much of not more turmoil than her own. Her citizens were sent to the south because he could not offer them full protection. He was unable to help her because of the civil war commencing in his own territory. "Foolish female!" A small tinge of red bled into the corners of his eyes, his voice a low growl. "Do not think to question to my judgements! I did what was necessary to keep your citizens safe! Had you not foolishly given yourself up to the enemy, you would have seen that your citizens were not the only ones to travel to the Southern Lands!"

She leaned forward, her dainty claws digging into the wood of the hard backed chair facing the fire. "You may call me whatever you like, but I do not consider giving my life up for my soldiers cowardly at all. I did what I had to do in order to grab more time. You have no right to call me a coward for protecting those under my rule. Unlike you, I would not sacrifice myself to death in battle and doom the rest of my army. I believe in preserving life, not throwing it away. Now, are you going to help me or not. Because if you aren't I have better things to do than to sit here and listen to your egotistical talk of cowards and defeating 'worthless' opponents. Despite what you may think, this creature I fight is more dangerous than anything I've ever faced and much more clever. Obviously he knows what he's doing and how he's doing it. Each move he takes is well planned to such a degree that I don't know what to do." Forcing herself to calm down, she leaned back in the chair and turned her gaze back to the fire. "It's almost like a chess game, but I can't understand what tactics' he's using, or his strategy."

He was silent, studying the girl who had lost so much. He knew what it was to lose his entire family and be thrust into a Leadership position at such a young age. Just a glance he knew she was exhausted and confused, unsure of what her next move would be. A strong fighter she may be but at her young age and as untrained as she was to take such a position, he knew that Kagome was doing her best just standing on the tips of her toes. Without a word he stood and walked to the door. Resting his hand on the screen handle, he turned to look at her over his shoulder. "This Sesshoumaruwill help you, but first you will rest. I refuse to work with a weakling who can barely stand."

As he stepped out and slid the screen closed behind him, Kagome glared and stuck out her tongue. "Jerk," she muttered…

* * *

She smiled softly to herself as she trailed her fingers through the water, soft ripples disturbing the otherwise placid little pond. Today was her 150th birthday, a large occasion had her family been alive to celebrate it with her. Sadly, that was not the case. Aside from that and the fact that she had a pounding headache, Kagome was alright with that. She had known eventually she would wind up alone later in life, though it had admittedly come a bit sooner than she would have liked.

For the most part Kagome was glad he and his household did not know of the day. She had a feeling that if the majordomo of the palace knew that today she would be 150 years old there would be a vast party. To be honest, Kagome wasn't sure she could even handle a party, not with all the things on her mind.

Guilt, for abandoning not only her soldiers but her land. Anger, for being forced to do so. Bereavement, for all the lives lost. It was all too much to take in at one time and yet she knew she had to, knew that no one else was going to help her, not in the way she so desperately wanted them to. Admittedly, she was a good fighter, but it was more from necessity than from a desire to actually fight. But the possibility that she might have to take the throne and thus the position of Leader and General was always at the back of her mind, whether she wanted it to be or not. Since the time when she was a child and had chosen her life weapon, training became a necessity.

Sighing, the small smile from before vanished as if a memory and she pulled herself away from the water, despite its more than calming effect on her attitude. Standing, she brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and ignored the pounding of her head as it got stronger and stronger. Glancing at the darkening sky, she realized that it was a bit past time for the evening meal and that he probably thought her a bit rude for being late. Oh well. He would just have to get over it. She was rarely on time for dinner in her own household, let alone anyone else's.

Making her way out of the garden and into the palace, she was annoyed at the sight of her "body guards," following behind her as she left the garden. Sesshoumaru called them body guards, but she called them baby sitters. To be honest, Kagomeeven felt kind of bad for them. Honestly, who wanted to follow a girl around the whole day and watch her mope? It wasn't like she presented them with any kind of challenge. Still, she wouldn't get them in trouble because she was bored. Not after everything she had already done.

Entering the main dining hall, she was unsurprised to see him still sitting at the table, staring at the fire with an empty plate and platters of food untouched. The past three nights he had been like this, waiting for her arrival before eating. As she approached the table, he stood and waited for her to take her seat, not saying a word to her otherwise. Always the gentleman. But she could see the clenched lines of his jaw, the slow burning in his eyes that warned of a tried patience.

"Good evening Sesshoumaru."

An eyebrow twitched. That's right. She'd forgotten to add the formal title. Oh well. Not like he would do anything to her. Not like he could.

When he did not say anything else, Kagometook it upon herself to fill her plate with food, picking a little bit of everything that she liked, which was mostly fruit and a few bite size pieces of meat. That, she knew, baffled him. How a youkai could like fruit and vegetables more than meat and fish. Kagome had a feeling that if she allowed him to fill her plate she would see nothing but piles of red meat.

Another sigh left her pale lips as she looked down at her plate, before turning to look at him. He was eating slowly, taking graceful bites that belied his station. Four days she had been here and the longer she was here she knew her lands would be thrust into turmoil. "I want to talk about what we're going to do. I don't like the fact that we've been here lingering for days, nor the fact that you've been planning without me."

Fierce golden eyes turned to look at her and Kagome felt a shiver course down her spine. Vaguely she wondered how many treaties had been signed under that stony glance.

"You will be re-trained," he stated, speaking over her sharp protest, "by this Sesshoumaru. You will also undergo the lessons of diplomacy and Intelligence." He set down his fork and turned his full attention to her, his face empty of emotion except for the stony glare. "Despite your young age, your lack of knowledge is unacceptable and a point of weakness. You should always be able to count on the fact that you know more than your enemy does, no matter the situation."

"While that is highly insulting, I will take that into consideration. However, I refuse to re-learn things I alreayd know." She studied him, observing his straight posture and fierce countenance, the ice in his eyes as well as a small little flicker of something she could barely identify as remorse. Curious by nature, she leaned forward with apt attention. "Sesshoumaru-sama, what happened to you?"

There was a flicker of surprise as he stared at her, before Sesshoumaru quickly hid all emotions from her once again. He was both caught unawares and confused as to her question, wondering why exactly she wanted to know. His past should be of no concern to her, no matter what the subject; who and what he'd been all those years ago were none of her business. But he wondered where the question had come from, what urged her to ask.

"It is of no concern to you."

A thought formed in her mind and she quickly shuffled it out of sight, putting it away for later perusal and consideration. "What about after you "re-train" me? How long will it take?" Leaning back in her chair and studying her plate, she moved her fork around, pushing the food back and forth in a pattern that was illegible. "I refuse to stand by and let this monster torment my people. How long?"

Sesshoumaruwas quiet, reminded again of the difference between her now and when he'd found her a couple days ago. She was back to her old self, but there was still something off about her. Letting a small frown form on his face, he leaned back as well, watching as she played with her food. "Two weeks."

Setting down her fork, Kagome hid her hands in her lap, feeling them clench as if of their own accord. Two weeks. In two weeks her entire kingdom, what was left of it, could easily be destroyed. Still, she knew there was nothing she could do, not without going in blind and ruining whatever plans had already been laid. Turning deep blue eyes back to him, Kagome let her emotions pour through her words. "No more. If I'm not ready to your satisfaction by then, that's just too bad. Two weeks is already too long for my liking. I'll be doing this with or without your help or approval, whichever it is you're unwilling to give, though I--"

Before she could finish her sentence, the small headache she'd been experiencing the entire day doubled in pain, a large jarring shock of it ripping through her head. She yelped and jerked backwards, nearly flipping her chair as she held her head in both hands. Her face had paled to the same shade from a couple of days ago as another shock rent through her. Images appeared, flashing before her as if an apparition.

"_Just shut-up and let me protect you, you stupid girl!" A young man with gold eyes, so similar to someone she knew, white hair harsh and untamed. Behind him stood a giant dog, also familiar with a blue crescent and magenta stripes._

A name popped forward to match the image and she spoke it without realizing. "Inu…Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru glared at her, confused and slightly worried. Where had this kit heard of his half-brother?

"_Sit boy!" A female's voice, filled with annoyance and what Kagomecould just barely tell was a small trace of amusement. Behind the annoyed girl stood another girl, this one a bit taller and maybe a little older. She wore a green and pink kimono and was laughing quietly with another young man. This one was tall and wearing the robes of a priest. The two seemed to share a mutual amusement at the argument currently being held_.

"Arghh!" She stumbled to her feet, pushing her way out of the chair only to make it a few feet before dropping to her knees. There were tears streaming down her cheeks as she held her head, as if she were trying to stop it from falling off her neck.

From where he sat, Sesshoumaru could hear her heart beating, faster than anything he'd ever heard before. Pushing back his chair, he stood and walked over to her, ignoring her small little keens of pain and the small yelps. Reaching forward, he grabbed her upper arm and pulled her up, bringing her face to face with him. There was a pain in her eyes that he couldn't identify, though he knew it had something to do with the ache she was experiencing now. He also knew that it had something to do with the name she had just spoken.

_A voice, far older than anything she had ever heard before filtered through, both warm and cold at the same time, pure and corrupt, good and evil. "You shall be the one, dear child. It has been ordained." _

"_I need your help." _

This time it was her own voice she heard, filled with a wisdom she didn't understand and a desire she couldn't fathom. Who was she asking for help? She already had Sesshoumaru, who else could she possibly need?

"_When I signal to you, you have to shoot immediately, without hesitation."_

"_But what about you?! You may be strong, but not even you could withstand an arrow purified by time."_

"_My life is of no concern. This war has been raging for over 50 years. It's well past time for an ending." _

"What is wrong, Kitsune? How do you know that name?" He pulled her forward once more, now holding onto both her wrists as he shook her, determined to get an answer out of her, despite her condition.

Suddenly she stilled, deep blue eyes widening as she stared up at him, both seeing and unseeing. A small shiver of apprehension made its way down his back, though it was unnoticeable to any but him-self. Her lips parted and she spoke so softly that not even his demonic hears could catch the ragged, whispered words. Leaning forward, he pulled her even closer so that her lips were just barely brushing his ears.

"_**The webs The Spider wove will fall. The Snake sheds its skin by dusk. The Souls reflection is marred."**_

Before he could say anything, she passed out, small whimpers issuing forth from her prone form as she hung limply in his arms, gravity bringing her body against his. Disturbed not by her body but by what she'd spoken of, Sesshoumaru found himself staring at the girl, wondering if she was more than what he had originally been lead to believe. Could this girl know more than she was letting on, merely leading him on so that she could get what she wanted? But then, what could she possibly want from him? Everything he had she still had, except she had to fight to get it back. Looking down at her, for the first time in a hundred and fifty years, Sesshoumaru let his emotions show.

* * *

There was a soft whispering and once again Kagome was thrust into the buzzing darkness. A darkness that was so familiar and yet a place she felt she'd never been to before. Her body was sore all over as if she had just fought an exhausting battle, although her mind carried the worst of it. She was scared. There was no other word for it. Laying on her side, the images from before flashed through her mind once again, before she recognized them for what they were. Memories.

She…she was Kagome Higurashi, girl from the future who traveled with Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Shippo in an often fruitless search for the jewel shards of the Shikon no Tama. She was the one who had sacrificed herself for the well being of everyone else, so that others could live happily, despite such an evil being having once existed. She, Kagome, was the girl that Midoriko herself had rooted for, the girl that the powerful priestess had reincarnated into Kagome, Princess of the Easter Kitsune Clan.

Kagome, the girl child who defeated Naraku. Kagome, the girl who was supposed to have a peaceful life from this point on. Kagome, who was fighting for her life and her kingdom.

Sighing, she pushed herself up and rested her arms on her thighs, waiting for the elder Miko to appear. After a few impatient moments of waiting and self-anaylsis, appear she did. Midoriko stood in front of her, garbed in the clothes of a Miko and the soft edge of the long deceased. There was a small frown on her face as well as a little bit of guild, something Kagome caught onto right away.

"Midoriko-sama."

"Kagome-chan."

"So you have regained your memories fully then?" Her voice was as warm as it was the last time though there was once again that little hint of guilt. Glancing down at the younger miko, Midoriko felt a small tug of maternal love for the girl, as well as a strong pull of fear. She wasn't sure if the girl could handle this yet.

"Yep. Fully loaded." Kagome offered up a small smile, though happy was the last thing she was feeling. The guild and hidden things she could see in Midoriko's eyes sent a small shiver through her, making her wonder what could possibly be wrong that even the elder Miko was worried? "I have a question though. I thought you said that my life this time around would only have the duties that was called for of this culture? Already I've lost more to war and a being that isn't of this world. This isn't something I wanted to do again."

The elder Miko shook her head sadly, knowing that her answer would be unsatisfactory to the young woman. After all, Midoriko had indeed promised Kagome such a thing, thinking that after all the hardship in her odd life a little bit of peace might be welcomed. Apparently the fates did not agree with her. "This was not something I myself was able to control. What is happening now, this evil being and your role in its destruction, was ordained by the Fates, who rule over even the Kami's."

"This again," she muttered, the tone bitter and just a bit sad. "The Fates ordained it. Just why does it always haveto be my life they toy with, my future that becomes endangered by their games? Tell me, am I the one that fated to destroy this monster as well? Just as I did with Naraku, with a sacrifice that would gain me nothing?"

Midoriko's pale brown eyes lit withfury and she leaned over to slap the girl, an unhappy frown on her fair skinned features. "A sacrifice that save the lives of hundreds of thousands, a sacrifice that allowed so much peach and happiness to return to the barren lands of Japan. Curses ended, children freed. A new life for you, filled with pleasures a normal human child could never even dream of! How dare you say the sacrifice was for nothing?!"

Immediately Kagome was contrite, knowing that Midoriko's words held true. In the year where she waited in limbo, waiting for her new life to begin, Kagome was given the chance to see how her choice effected the thousands who had been haunted by Naraku. At times she had even become jealous of those strangers, wanting to experience the things they did, wanting to _live_again. It was just so hard, staying on the sidelines yet involved at the same time. Closing her eyes, Kagome wondered if she would be in the same situation as she was 150 years ago. Live and watch those die while she tried to fight, yet sacrificing herself in the end for the well being of others. That was the question she did not want an answer to. "I know." She sighed and looked back at the other miko, a small smile on her lips. "Tell me what I'm to do this time."

And so the elder miko began to talk, her brown eyes giving away her sadness and desperation at the same time, something Kagome chose not to point out. Because if Kagome was reading those swirling browns correctly, there was a fate in those she didn't understand. Midoriko spoke of many things, the travels Kagome would have to undergo in order to defeat this new enemy, the trials that would come more swiftly and more painfully than anything she had ever faced. And how Sesshoumaru fit into it all.

* * *

"_The webs The Spider wove will fall. The Snake sheds is skin by dusk. The Souls reflection is marred." _

Sesshoumaru stared blankly into the fire, the three phrases running through his mind like a train without tracks. Just what in the world was the girl talking about? And why wasn't she waking up? Three hours she'd been unconscious, without a sound or even a little movement. It was disconcerting. After the first few hours he'd been tempted to call the healer but had eventually changed his mind when a little bit of color returned to her tanned cheeks. The longer the girl was unconscious the more frustrated he became, though he didn't understand why.

Thinking back to when she was just a child, Sesshoumaru felt that he'd always had a soft spot for her, ever since the day when they had first met and she was able to recognize him from when she was a new born.

_(Kagome's First Meeting With Sesshoumaru)_

_It was overcast outside, wind rapping against the walls of the Eastern Citadel, the force so strong at times that it shook the holding. Rain pelted the ground like tiny little rocks falling from the sky, small but numerous. In the distance and growing closer, thunder boomed; despite the amount of space between the thunder and the castle, Kagomeshook with fear. Ever since she'd been able to identify them for what they were, Kagome had never liked storms. _

_Suddenly there was a loud crash much closer than the previous ones and she jumped, sweeping sapphire blue eyes around the room with an urgency that was surprising for one of her young age. As it was ten minutes ago, the warm room was empty except for her. Another thudding rumble and soft crack, before the glass next to her broke, falling shattered to the floor. Wind and rain gusted into the room, as well as something long and thick that seemed to move. _

_Screaming, she stumbled out of bed and ran to her doors. But they were already opening and she staggered into a long pair of white clad legs and black boots. Terrified, she stared up at the tall man, with his deadly gold eyes and no-nonsense face. Whimpering, she let out a wail and started crying. _

_The tall man seemed to study her, his eyes both appraising and disapproving, before he stepped into the room and closed the doors behind him and moved around her. As he approached the broken window, she stood where she was crying and scared. She didn't see him as he leaned forward to pick up the moving object nor did she see the disbelieving stare as he held the stiff tree branch, at least a foot in diameter and covered in slime and water. The wind from outside moved the numerous leafs still attached to it, before he tossed it back outside and pulled the curtains closed. _

_Turning back to the crying child, he sighed and seemed to hesitate for a moment, before walking forward and picking her up by the back of her pajamas. Walking over to the chair beside her bed, he sat down and held her in his lap, wrapping her in the white fur that was his family heirloom. When she fell asleep he had to call a guard to come and un-attach the child she clung to him so. _

_The next morning, when her parents formally introduced him to her, Kagome stepped forward and wrapped a small hand in the soft white folds of his hakama, sucking on her thumb as she stared up at him in childish adoration. _

_(End Memory)_

From that point on, the girl had never been afraid from him, crossing boundaries that had any other crossed, they would not have survived. And he'd let her.

Now, almost two centuries later, Sesshoumaru wondered if he had made the wrong decision to put her under his protection all those years ago. From the moment when the child nestled in his arms to now, Kagome had become his ward, whether he wanted her as one or not. As such, she was his and under his complete protection, though she didn't know that exactly.

When a small portion of her citizens arrived on his borders, he turned them away to the south along with all of his own citizens. His army was already gathered, a precaution he kept on hand for occasions just like these. At the news that the Eastern Lady had been captured, Sesshoumaru went berserk. He left before anyone could make notice of it and escaped to the farthest borders of the west, bordering the ocean. There, he destroyed half a forest and killed any demon that happened to approach him. Then he was calm, thinking and calculating, not bothering to wonder why he had such a strong reaction to the news of her capture. After all, anything of his being possibly harmed like that was wont to warrant such a response. He would not admit it to anyone, but when she told him that another male had rescued her, Sesshoumaru was slightly disappointed, though he could not understand why. She was safe and that was all that mattered, right? Right…

As he sat their blinking, his inner demon noted the girls breathing begin to speed up as she faded into wakefulness. Noticing a slightly different twist to her scent than normal, the yōki alerted Sesshoumaru, giving a tense warning as it regarded the new scent.

Blearily she opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling, still trying to decide if her conversation with Midoriko had been a dream of if it actually happened. When she felt the demon blood coursing through her veins and for the first time mingling with her miko blood in over 150 years, she shuddered, the new sensations both fascinating and terrifying. More the former than the latter. Smiling softly, she sat up and stretched, before laying eyes on Sesshoumaru and taking into consideration his tense form. Another smile graced her lips as she bowed slightly in greeting.

"Sesshoumaru-sama. Long time no see."

He stared at her, unable to understand what the significant difference was coming from. Yes, he knew she had a different scent than usual, yes, he knew she spoke just slightly different from a few hours ago. And yes, he knew something was going on. He just couldn't figure out what it was. Not that he would let that stop him. Still, he waited silently for her to continue. She should be used to his silence by now, after all. It occurred to him then what she'd just said and confusion reigned supreme.

"I would not call three hours a long time," he said quietly, studying her as deeply as he ever had. He was going to figure out what was going on.

She only smiled again, before shaking her head and taking a step closer to him, knowing that once he realized the truth, he would very likely try to kill her. "151 years to be more precise."

Her statement only served to befuddle him all the more, before the depth of what she said hit him like a sack of stone, hard and heavy. 151 years ago Naraku had been defeated by a young human girl, a miko at that. She had sacrificed herself for the greater good and perished in the act, leaving behind her friends and new family so that they could live happily. At least, that was what the elder miko, Chikara, if he remembered her name correctly, said she had done it for. Now, almost two centuries later, she stood before him in all her demon glory, glowing brightly with blue and grey hues.

As the truth dawned on him, Sesshoumaru felt both rage and curiosity; rage because she had stolen Naraku's life from him and tricked him the past hundred years, curiosity because he didn't understand how she could have all her memories from that time and still be the Kitsune Lady of the East. Sighing, he let out an annoyed growl and turned away from her, moving quickly to the other side of the room so that he would not be tempted to harm her. "Speak, miko, and make it the truth. If I sense any lie on you, you will have been brought back for naught."

Kagome nodded slowly, more than a bit surprised that the demon lord had managed to control himself. Still, best not look a gift horse in the mouth. Walking forward to take a seat in the chair he had vacated, she leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees and held her fingers together, twisting them nervously as she began.

"152 years ago, when we were still looking for the last of the jewel shards before we could defeat Naraku, we encountered another miko by the name of Chikara. We'd heard of her before, the priestess who could stop time with a single sealed arrow. It was amazing. What the others didn't know were my...plans. You might remember that I asked you about that kind of power, about being able to stop time. You mentioned a Miko in the East. Needless to say I didn't tell the others...about that.

Aside from Inuyasha, everybody wanted to meet her when we were told she was in the same area we were, just to congratulate her for learning such a powerful skill. However, we finally did meet her, she said it was something she was born with, that and a task to help defeat the Spider hanyou." Moving slightly to rest her hands under her chin, Kagome continued. "We were all more than a bit surprised, but when Inuyasha suddenly agreed to haveher travel with us, it was decided."

"The half-breed was the alpha of the group. You could not expect him to sit back and let the rest of you make the decisions such as those."

She rolled her eyes and began again, knowing better than to dilly-dally with him. "Just a couple months before the final battle, Chikara and I were taking a walk together, talking of random things. She was in the middle of a sentence when she stopped suddenly and turned to look at me, her eyes glowing a coppery brown. I realized that she was being used as a medium. Before I could do anything to see if she was going to be harmed, a voice I recognized immediately began to speak. It was Midoriko. She told me that I was the only one that could totally defeat Naraku and the only way to do that was to seal time and to end my life at the same time. So that's what I did."

Turning deep blue eyes to glance at him, she was unsurprised to see that his expression still remained the same, though she could just barely see a small hint of curiosity. "I know that I caused my friends pain, that I stole from many something I did not have the right to steal. But I did what I was ordered to do, whether I wanted to or not. I wondered about one part, about...having to die. Midoriko said, _'Dear child, you must understand. When you take one of great corruption from this world, you must also take one of great purity, else the sacred balance will be lost_. It made since, but I still didn't want to believe it."

Sesshoumaru was silent, still deciding whether he should kill her now and reap the rewards or if he should listen to the rest of her story. So far, throughout the past twenty minutes, he had not been able to sense a lie on her, though he knew that she too knew how to block certain things. As a youkai child, one was taught how to protect themselves and that included learning how to mask a scent. Silently he nodded for her to continue, a decision to ask questions about Midoriko's appearance later.

"After the arrow hit me, I don't really remember much of anything. I know that I talked to Midoriko again and that she told me of my new life. And I remember floating around for a year or so, watching everybody as their lives moved on and progressed. I was told from that point on, my new life would be peaceful. I didn't know I was going to have to fight another war."

He leaned against the mantle, not taking his amber eyes away from hers even once. He knew she spoke the truth, just like he knew that a girl like her, one whom had sacrificed everything for the well beings of others, deserved an easy life, one where all she had to think about were the day to day worries and finding a mate to help rule her lands. Now though, now she had to find a way to fight against who knows what or who and again she was doing it for something she wasn't exactly involved in. Still, now was not the time for such thoughts. He knew she had some questions of her own and she still had to finish her story.

Kagome, however, had no intention of telling anymore. What she had learned from Midoriko was something she didn't even want to think about, let alone speak of. She would tell Sesshoumaru when the time came, but not before. Leaning back in the chair, she sent him another small smile, unbothered by the fact that he had yet to return it. "I was able to watch for a year, but after that my new life began. Would you…do you know what happened to the others?"

He raised a silver brow, as if asking if she were stupid. "The monk and the huntress were human. You would not have met them after 70 or so years. The small kit from before is now roaming the lands with my dragon Ah-Un. He returns periodically to pay his loyalties to myself as well as to you. I do not believe he knows of your true self. The other miko and the half-breed mated, though they produced no heirs. She died within 30 years and Inuyasha died with her, of _heart break_."

He said the words with contempt, as if saying only humans and hanyou's could feel such things. Still, she knew the truth, knew that he would not always feel that way. She knew that he would fall in love with someone and she knew who. Kagome. It was her. The demon Lord would fall in love with her within the year. The only question was, could Kagome bring herself to return those feelings?

_Chap. Fin_

* * *

Review Responses:

Sugar0o - Thanks for the review! Hope you like this chapter as much as you did the last one!!

Stacey An Angel - Thanks! Tell me what you think this time??

Elemental573 - Haha! Thanks!!

Mia1873 - Yep, but she's not thinking about that right now, so she doens't remember yet, lol!!

Taeniaea - Glad you liked it!!

dragonsavior - Thank you! Here's that update!!

Pandora-Of-The-South - Yeppers, Sango did marry Miroku! At the time when Kagome met Sango the first time in Kitsune, no Miroku was no longer alive. Sango was already about 70 or so when they met. Yeah. Shippo pretty much took care of Sango and helped re-build the demon slayer village. After she died...well, I can't reveal that yet, lol.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter Four:_**

She hadn't expected him to be nice to her, not at all, but at the very least a little bit of cordial politeness was warranted. But of course that wasn't going to happen. She could partially understand, especially if he still hated her for killing Naraku, but wasn't the present much more important? What about the new enemy and her lands? What about the people suffering because of this unknown enemy? Her people.

She'd thought at the very least he would understand that but of course he didn't. Of course. And even if he did he wasn't going to show her. As far as Kagome knew, Sesshoumaru still thought of her as a pesky human miko whom hung around his hanyou half brother. Bah! Stupid mutt!

Now, as Kagome stood on the cliffs over-looking her lands, she wondered why she'd even gone to him for help. Obviously he couldn't get over what had already passed. He might have been willing to help Kagome, Lady of the Eastern Lands, but not Kagome the girl. And even now she wasn't sure which she was, which he wanted her to be and worse yet, which she wanted to be. If there was even a choice or if in reality, it had already been decided by a fate crueler and more demanding than any master.

The cloak she wore now whistled with the wind, the hem brushing against the ground as the hood hung low over her face. If any happened to see her, the only thing they would see was a figure in a cloak, nothing more and nothing less. The moon was only half visible tonight but even that was hidden by clouds. It would rain soon.

She turned her eyes back to the small village before and the lands stretching out behind it. This was only one of the towns in her lands, one of many but it was special to her. Her father had given her this village to run when she was 116. When he'd given it to her it had been run down with only a few residents. After a couple of months in her care she'd turned it from a small, weak village to one thriving with life. Most of the residents were youkai and human children, orphaned at a young age, with older youkai care-takers. It was entirely her village. And because of that it had been burned to the ground, its people massacred.

She hadn't known. Gripping her mother's dagger tight in her fist, Kagome let the anger grow, let it fill her. She didn't know who this enemy of hers was or why her lands were the only ones being targeted so forcefully. The north had been taken through sheer deceit and yet the East was being totaled, as if the enemy was hoping to start it all over from the beginning. She had no idea who it was, but he would pay. If it was the last thing she did he was going to pay. And not because it was fate that she defeat whoever it was but because he'd stolen from and hurt her, both physically and by killing her people. He would pay.

It took a few minutes for her to calm back down but her perspective on the matter was crystal clear. When she was calm, Kagome glanced up at the moon. It was almost time to go and he probably would have noticed her missing by now. And she still had one more stop to make. If things were as she hoped then not all was lost. But if they weren't what she wanted…it was just one more thing to add to the list of growing offenses of the enemy.

Slipping her dagger back into the sheath on her hip and picking up the ends of her skirts, she took a deep breath and then jumped off the cliff. She landed softly on the ground, just a slight jarring shock going through her shins. Even for a youkai it was a long fall.

Hesitating for only a moment, Kagome built up her defenses before walking into the desecrated village. The husks of bodies long burned lay where they had doubtless fallen, shriveled and deformed. She held back the depression at the sad sights and continued on through the village until she'd reached what had been the healers hut.

The small home was as gone as the rest of them were, except for two of the walls. The right and back wall still stood, albeit it looked a little wobbly, and were covered in scorch marks. There were shattered remains of pottery and other small tools littering the floor. A body lay curled around a smaller body in the far corner. The elements hadn't yet got to it and for that Kagome was thankful. It hid what she was looking for. With reverence and with careful hands, she pulled the body out of the way enough to see what she was looking for. A small emblem burned into a piece of wood and attached to the ground. Kneeling, Kagome looked around her quickly for any watchers and when she was satisfied that she was alone, she gently pressed her fingers against the symbol and allowed a small bit of her yōki to flow out of her, tinged with just a small bit of miko power. At the time, many, many years ago, Kagome hadn't know of her miko powers but the Healer and the village head had suggested binding it with both powers, yōki and miko, to make it harder to unveil. Today she was glad of it and even more so of her miko abilities.

The moment her powers touched the wood and symbol, a small square hole opened in the ground beneath the wood, large enough for a person to squeeze through. With a smile she slipped into the hole and dropped a good 50 feet below ground level. As it was underground the area was dark but she had no trouble seeing and she easily followed a small path.

Only a few years after her Father had given her the village, there were a series of raids on villages near hers. The villains had been caught and punished of course, but many of the citizens were still scared. And so Kagome had come up with an idea to connect several of the villages together through underground paths that would lead to hidden caverns in the mountains that lay to the south of the Eastern Lands before turning into Southern Land. Her father had agreed it needed to be done and the project was started immediately. Over a year later the tunnels were complete and well hidden, their locations known only to the village heads, healers and miko's who resided in the village. They in turn would lead the civilians into the tunnels safely if need be.

20 minutes passed before she reached the area of wall she was looking for. It was covered with drawings, none of which had any real meaning. It was simply a ruse to confuse any would be dangers. When she found the new symbol she was glad her father had thought of having each entrance be protected by a different mark so that anybody who wasn't supposed to know didn't know what to look for. She touched it and the wall pushed to the side showing an even darker path than the one she was on. The moment she stepped through the wall slid closed behind her, locking her in.

When she reached the final door after another few minutes of brisk walking she let out a sigh of relief. So far so good. There had been no hint of danger coming or danger passed in the tunnels. Yet. After finding the signal and opening the new door Kagome stopped immediately at the sight of two youkai standing with their backs to an unnatural door.

They seemed as surprised as she was to see another being. Instantly a strong barrier field appeared around her, trapping her in its grasp as the youkai took a step closer to her. She didn't recognize either of them and they had their presence masked so well she couldn't tell what their intents were. One of them appeared to be an Inu, standing tall at 6'1 and skin so dark it was almost pure ebony. Her hair was in a tight braid down to her butt and a black tail wrapped around her waist and shoulder. She glared at Kagome with deep violet eyes and yōki was beginning to roll off of her. The other was a male and from what she could see of him, he was a hawk youkai. His hair hung down to his knees but instead of the usual silky strands he had feathers, layered beautifully. His skin was a creamish yellow color and his eyes were a pale brown. He was glaring at her as well.

"Who are you?" the female snapped, taking a step closer.

Kagome would have liked to back away from the woman but the Hawks field held her tightly in place. "I cannot say. I must speak with Brydwyl."

They seemed surprise at her request but not enough to release her. The female stepped in even closer and using her sword, pushed Kagome's hood away from her face. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to her tutors for teaching her as well as they had. If she hadn't learned what she did, Kagome doubted she'd be able to keep the masking spell up. Right now, what they saw was not her customary blue eyes and black hair but the green eyes and orange hair of Shippou. She had come to learn that her normal appearance was a giveaway of who she was as her family was the only Kitsune clan to have the coloring combination. It was imperative no one know who she was. So she lied. "I am betrothed to Shippou, dignitary to the Eastern Lady and Vassal to the Western Lord."

The hawk scowled but was mildly amused. The girl had very cleanly answered the question by not answer at all. His female companion was not so easily amused. "Show us his mark of intention and we will allow you to pass and see your fiancé."

Kagome thought quickly. She hadn't known Shippou was here, hadn't known he even knew of the tunnels and their safe havens. Frowning, she shrugged her shoulder elegantly, like a young lady who had been raised in court and had no use to answer others questions. "He has not marked me yet. My father would not allow it. He is dead now." She could feel the guilt and understanding on their faces but still they did not let the barrier go. "Please, I must speak with Brydwyl." Her patience was growing thin.

Neither of them said anything for a moment before the female shook her head. "Tell us your name and then we will decide what to do with you."

It was clear the two were just doing their jobs but Kagome was running out of time. It would be dawn soon and she couldn't afford to be in the eastern lands during the day, not until she had a position of power again. Gritting her teeth Kagome let go a string of fluid curses and was amused by the shocked look on their faces. A lady of the court was not supposed to know such language. "Very well. But you will speak of this to no one." Before either of them could say anything against that order Kagome quickly reached her hands up to untie her cloak and caught it before it hit the floor. With one small, precise word the masking spell fell away from her, allowing her natural coloring to return, as well as her markings of royalty and station. "Do I make myself clear?"

The 2 guards stared at her in shock before immediately bowing to her, both of them stumbling over apologies. The barrier was dropped.

"Stop. Please, stand up. I must see Brydwyl."

They did as she said but when Kagome again mentioned Brydwyl, the female glanced at her companion for a moment, before turning back to Kagome. "Brydwyl is dead, My Lady."

That bit of knowledge really hurt, causing her power to fluctuate around her. Brydwyl had been her father's top advisor and had become her own when the thrown was passed to her. He had helped her those first few years when she was still adjusting to being the only one in her family left alive and he had showed her the best way to handle a people who weren't at all ready for such a young ruler. She bit her lip, wanting very badly to speak of him with these guards, to anyone who would listen, but with a sigh she shook her head. There would be time later for remembering. Right now she had to focus. "What are your names?" she demanded.

"I am Inala," the female said immediately.

The male was a bit more reticent but after a moment he spoke. "I am Dean."

"One of your parents is a foreigner then?" Kagome asked, focusing a bit more on the hawk youkai.

He nodded. "My mother was a foreigner."

Kagome caught the past tense and slowly made a sign of peace over her chest. Dean's eyes widened and something like awe shone on his face before he bowed deeply. "Thank you My Lady."

She nodded but turned again to Inala. "Who is in charge then?"

Inala smiled slightly. "Shippou-sama."

Kagome smiled and shook her head. "I should have known." Of course the one who she said she was betrothed to would be the one who was in charge. She wondered how he knew of this place though. "I need to see him." Another thought occurred to her and she added, "I can't let it get out that I'm still alive. I have to put my masking spell back up."

"My Lady, the people are distressed. It would do them well to see you alive. None of them have left the caverns since the massacre in most of the lands. Please,---

She interrupted, a little bit of hope on her face. "Did any of the children from the Kani village survive?" Kani was what she'd named the village, after one of her favorite candies.

Inala shook her head. "No My lady, I'm sorry, but no."

Her thoughts were easy to see as was her pain. And the revenge in her eyes was clear as day. What Inala said about her people being upset at the news of her death got her to thinking. It would be best if she remained dead so the enemy wouldn't know what to expect but Kagome had a feeling they already knew and if that were the case…but still. Was it a wise idea? Tactical reasoning said no but Kagome had always been one to follow her heart for the most part. If seeing she was alright was enough to get them back on their feet then why not? "I won't put the masking spell back on but I need to speak with Shippou."

Inala and Dean smiled before Dean stepped aside for Kagome to open the seal. As soon as her fingers brushed against the cold stone and her power enveloped the seal the stone wall slid to the side. Kagome motioned to Dean. "Inala, I need you to stay here. And call someone to replace Dean. I'm taking him with me." She didn't leave room for either of them to say no and simply waited for Dean to lead the way.

When Dean was walking ahead of her Kagome let out a sigh and very slowly unlocked some of her powers. She smiled a little when Dean glanced back at her, surprise evident on his face before he turned back around. Her cloak was back around her shoulders now, the hood laying against her back. She was getting nervous and when they almost reached the open area of the cavern where she could hear the small buzz of livelihood, Kagome had him stop for a moment. "Do they…do they think I abandoned them?"

Dean looked sad for a moment before he nodded. "There are some who are of that line of thought."

"And the rest?"

"The rest think you are dead. They think you were killed the day you sacrificed yourself for them."

"I see," she said softly, twisting her fingers together nervously. She looked down, still hesitating to go in.

"Kagome-sama, your sacrifice enabled us to save many we did not think we'd be able to save. They are here, awaiting the peace that will surely come if Fate is kind. Above us, most of your soldiers serve the creature parading around as the Northern and Eastern Lords. But that is only on the surface. They wait for their rightful leader to return and take siege. They wait for you My Lady."

Kagome sighed at that. _But what am I supposed to do_, she thought. _I don't even know who this person is_. But she would learn she decided. She would learn quickly and efficiently and destroy the evil that had ripped her lands apart. "Thank you, Dean."

He merely nodded his acceptance and turned to lead the way again. Nervous as a bride on her wedding night, Kagome followed after him, keeping close.

The cavern was large and airy and alight with what she recognized as kitsune fire, hundreds of little blue glowing orbs hovering above them all. There were thousands of tents spread throughout the cave as people moved in what Kagome thought had probably become everyday routine for them. Children still ran and played and women seemed to group together, both human and youkai, to work on small projects like repairing clothing or make tools out of regular things their mates and husbands brought them. Most of the men and a good portion of the younger youkai women were gathered on one side of the cave, moving with the fluidity of those well trained in combat. Some were sparring with each other, some were working on their swordsmanship and still others were making weapons. It sent a chill through her to realize they were preparing themselves for war.

By the time she and Dean had reached the center of the cave most of the people had gone silent, simply staring. After all, what their eyes were telling them couldn't be right. Lady Kagome was dead; she had given herself up to protect her soldiers. And yet here she was standing before them as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Cheers rent the air, people calling the Lady's name, saying prayers in her name.

The children were gathering around her now, some of them too young to understand yet happy because everyone else was happy. One child, a little girl who looked to be around 7 years old with black hair and piercing blue eyes, ran into Kagome's legs. She would have fallen if Kagome hadn't knelt and grabbed the child by the shoulders. She smiled at the little girl, her nurturing instincts kicking in like they always did around children. "What's your name honey?"

"Rin's name is Rin!" the girl said, grinning up at Kagome. Her hair was loose except for a small ponytail on the side of her head.

"Rin?" Kagome smiled slightly, remembering the little girl Sesshoumaru used to travel with. She wondered what had happened to the girl.

Thinking Kagome was asking about her name again, Rin continued. "Rin is named after great-great-grandma Rin!"

Her eyes sharpened at that and Kagome brought the girl closer. "Where are your parents Rin?"

"Rin's parents aren't here anymore. Miko-sama says the bad man killed them. But Rin is happy because Rin knows they loved her. Rin's parents are in a happy place now."

A grin formed at that and Kagome stood, picking Rin up with her. "How would you like to meet the person who took care of your great-great-grandmother, Rin-chan?"

Rin looked up at her with eyes round as saucers and what Kagome thought was a little bit of hope. "Really? Rin can do that?"

"Of course!" she answered, patting the girl on the back. She turned to Dean then and blushed at the smile on his face. "Let's go."

"Yes, My Lady." Still smiling, he led the way out of the cavern of cheering people and into a smaller, more brightly lit area of cave. She recognized all three of them as they stood speaking to Shippou in front of a desk. Even from behind, their powers were strong and their voices easily remembered. Her Secretary of Defense, her Sergeant General Master and the Master Spy.

When she and Dean entered the room the men stopped talking and turned to see who had interrupted them. At the sight of Kagome, the three men dropped to the floor and knelt on one knee. But Kagome wasn't paying that much attention to them, her eyes instead on Shippou as he stared in stunned silence at her. She knew it was silly, but seeing him for the first time as old as she was and knowing what she did about him and their past together, tears formed and she launched herself at him.

Shippou laughed and easily caught her, holding her up as she cried into his chest. "Lady Kagome, it's alright. I'm glad you're alive!"

His voice was so deep! That just made her cry all the harder! It took a moment for her to calm down and even after that, a little to compose herself. She had to speak to them all, now! Turning to face the three stunned men, she inclined her head to them in a slight bow, greeting them. "I'm glad you are all here, Lord Alter, Lord Yalta and Sir Haran."

Haran, perhaps her favorite out of the three and her Master Spy, smiled at her as he stood, the formation slow and appealing. "It is very good to see you M'lady. Lord Sesshoumaru is treating you well?"

Of course he knew she was with Sesshoumaru. Shaking her head, mildly amused, Kagome gave a negligent shrug. An honest person, Kagome did not like to lie but her station required that she also speak only positively of the other Lords and Ladies; she could not muddy another rulers name.

He smiled again. "Of course."

Yalta and Alter, twin brothers, were still kneeling before her. From the disgruntled looks on their faces as they glanced up at her their dislike was obvious. Not of her, no, they would never show that outwardly, but towards Haran. The way the younger man addressed her upset them as they were older and raised with stricter values; one did not address ones leader without respect. Very well aware of the process, Kagome turned to them and bowed. "You may rise Lords Yalta and Alter."

Knowing they wouldn't say anything to her unless directly spoken to, she stepped aside so that she was not standing completely in front of Shippou. "I can't stay long, I have a lengthy distance to travel. Now, I need an update. I noted on the way here that several of my citizens, non-combatants, are training to fight. Am I to assume they are preparing for the coming war?"

There was no surprise when Kagome mentioned war and for that, she was glad. These men were strong and well-experienced, even Shippou. That they didn't flinch at the comment meant they too were prepared.

"Yes, M'lady," replied Haran. "When you gave yourself up, many of the soldiers…were distraught. They tried to rescue you and were killed in the process."

There was silence for a moment while she contemplated this before a quiet sigh escaped her lips. "How many?"

"3,000," Shippou said quietly.

There were almost 200,000 soldiers in her army so 3,000 was not a large number. But it was still 3,000 men and women whom who had been under her order and command. She mourned their loss, as did all the men in the room.

Talk from there commenced from the soldiers lost to what would happen now. After much debate, they agreed with Kagome; letting the rest of the country think she was dead would be the best option in keeping their plans safe. As far as deciding what to do next, Kagome wanted to defer to Sesshoumaru and she made this plan to them all. He was far more experience than any of them, though probably the youngest after Shippou and herself.

Communications would be kept simple and Lord Haran would be with her, her liaison between Kani Underground and the West. Sesshoumaru would not be aware of him or rather, Kagome would not intentionally let him know. As to whether or not the Western Lord would find out on his own…that was entirely debatable. Kagome didn't particularly like the idea; she wanted Sesshoumaru to know, as it felt entirely too much like lying. Yalta and Alter both insisted they do things like this, to ensure the safety of the East. Kagome doubted Sesshoumaru was going to try and take her lands from her. Maybe.

After much discussion, Kagome excused Yalta, Alter and Haran from the room. Young Rin had been left outside at the beginning, with Dean, until she was ready to go. Now it was just her and Shippou. And she was hedging around what needed to be said. "How have you been Shippou?" It was so hard to not call him Ship, simply because that was what'd she'd called him since he was a child. But re-raised as a youkai and as a royal at that, more rules had been instilled in her; nick-names were not allowed.

He leaned back in the chair behind the desk, his feet up on the hard wood, grinning at me. "Busy, M'lady. You wouldn't think running this area would be hard-work."

"No," she agreed, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, her skirts falling around her feet, her cloak still draped around her to provide warmth in the cold, underground caves. "It is secure enough? Only a miko and a youkai together could open the doors." Without realizing it, she'd given an answer that should have seemed strange to him. As a full youkai, she would not have been able to open the doors. He didn't notice.

"So far we've had no trouble, though we've kept the paths to the south clear with guards at the ready should an attack become eminent." Shippou changed the subject, his tone respectful and his face empty of emotions, as was required of one of his station when in conversation with his ruler. "How are you doing with Sesshoumaru? He is going to help us?"

She wanted to cry at the stiff way he was speaking with her, as if he really didn't even want to be in the room with her. Haltingly, she answered. "He's the same as always; arrogant, sure his way of doing things is the only way. He thinks I need to be retrained, whatever that means. It's frustrating."

He shifted tracks yet again. "Brydwyl was killed; assassinated, shortly after your disappearance."

Looking down at her lap, Kagome held in her tears. Brydwyl had been her father's top advisor and then hers, but he was more than that to her, privately of course. Almost 2000 years old, he was the closest thing to a grandfather she had. Always he was there for her, from scraped knees to her first year on the thrown after being orphaned. His knowledge in politics was expansive and he had dirt on almost all the leaders, from the time he was a pup to current, except Sesshoumaru of course, as the current Western Lord was too open to let secrets lay. "I will miss him," she said softly. Her eyes sharpening at a thought, she momentarily forgot the reason she wanted to be alone with the older kitsune. "Was his murderer caught?"

When Shippou didn't answer her, once again something raged inside of her. It was not grief this time, no, much more than that. Anger, hatred and most important, revenge. This monster would pay; for Brydwyl, for Kani, for the lost soldiers and lastly, for all the civilians he'd massacred. She would make sure of it. Unwittingly, her powers started to spread out around her, both yōki and miko, mixing to become a dark a dark violet.

His startled gasp drew her attention and Kagome looked up from her hands to face him. Taking the chance, unwelcome though it was at this point, she slowly drew in her yōki until only the pale blue of her purity remained, floating around her.

"M'lady, is that…."

"Yeah, _Ship_," she said after he trailed off and didn't finish, "It's purity; as in, miko."

The obvious emphasis on his nickname surprised him and for the first time since she'd entered the room and thrown herself at him, her dear friends facial features were more relaxed, granted it was more from confusion and shock than anything else.

"I don't understand Lady Kagome," he said quietly, leaning forward to set his hands on the desk as he studied the purity floating around her more closely. "How do you know that name; how is…how are you doing that?"

She was silent for a moment as her powers slowly drifted back down inside of her and she tried to think of the best way to answer his question. Firmly, she said, "The same way I know the names Inuyasha and Miroku, Sango, Kirara." She hesitated, before adding one more name to that list. "And Shikon no Tama." Knowing these were things she could learn in any text book about the history of Japan so far, she said, "And the same way I know you haven't had any chocolate since I brought it for you the last time I went home, through the well. Because it hasn't been invented yet."

Ship was silent and that made her nervous. If he still didn't believe her, Kagome wasn't sure what she was going to do, how she was going to prove herself. But before she could blink he was standing in front of her and pulling her up to wrap his arms tightly around her, much as she had when first entering the room. "Kagome-chan!"

Without hesitation she returned the embrace, burying her nose in his neck to take as much of his scent into her as she could, to never forget again. "I'm so, so sorry, Shippo!"

"For what?" he asked cheekily, pulling back to look at her. It was like a spell had been broken. Though he'd thought she had always looked eerily similar to the Kagome from his past, he hadn't made the connection simply because the Kagome he knew now had been all youkai. But after hearing the truth from her and his unerring trust in her, Shippou wondered how he hadn't noticed before. She'd always been there with him. Even as a young demon, appearing in his late teens, when first meeting the child demon Kagome, the resemblance had been disturbing.

She shook her head a little. "For taking your revenge from you all those years ago; for your parents. For everything…" she said softly.

Shaking her a little, more from amusement than anything, he smiled at her to get her attention. "You did it for us, Kagome. That's nothing to apologize for."

A sigh escaped and she slowly relaxed, though she wasn't going to tell him that she didn't quite believe it. "I have to go now. Sesshoumaru is even more volatile now that he knows who I am and my part in the past."

He tensed at that and looked down at her again, the same devoted protection for her from when he was a child back in full force. It was adorable! "Do you need help there? I can come with you and ---"

"Shippou, you can't leave. What about Kani and the citizens?" She knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear, knew he wanted to be there for her like he hadn't been able to when he was a child.

"But I---

"They need you more than I do, you know that…"

He sighed and they both stepped back from the other. Too much time had passed, she knew that. It was well past time for her to take her leave. Sesshoumaru probably knew she was gone by now. "I have to go," she said quietly.

"Be careful. And keep Haran close; you know what he's there for."

She did know and Kagome hated it. It was not something she liked but it was an ancient law, one impossible to change. "I know. And you too!"

With that, she quickly walked away from him and out of the room. Swooping down, she scooped Rin up into her arms and sped past Dean. She remembered the way very clearly and right now, she wanted nothing more than to be alone; seeing the citizens under her rule was not what she had in mind. Because of this she threw up another masking spell before they entered the main cavern, one that changed her appearance and Rin's, as well as their clothing. They looked nothing like the pair that had left the room, instead a red head appeared caring her small, red headed child. Dean, accepting the change, easily led them from the room and back the way she had come.

When they reached the first outer door were Inala and a new guard now, Kagome dismissed Dean. "Your new task is to stay close to Sir Shippou Dean. Do it well." There was no implied threat but despite that, the bird youkai nodded firmly and left again, fully intent on doing his job well simply out of respect for the Lady.

As she approached the door that would separate her from Inala and the new guard, the other woman stepped forward a little, hesitant. "Safety be with you, My Lady."

Kagome glanced over her shoulder, even as she set her hand to the door and opened it. "And glory with you, my soldier." It was a customary greeting when departing company and Kagome was only slightly surprised. "I will pass your regards to your grand-nephew," she added. Sesshoumaru probably wouldn't care though.

She stepped through the door way and it slid closed before the Inu could say anything. Rin was fast asleep in Kagome's arms, her thumb in her mouth as she cuddled in the warmth of the older woman's cloak and body heat. The miko-youkai smiled a little at this but otherwise focused her attention on leaving the cavern again and making sure it appeared as if no one had been there. She could not afford to lose Kani Underground.

"Tell Shippou to start evacuating all non-combatants," she said quietly as she approached the hole in the ceiling that would lead to the surface. There was a non-committal grunt and she smiled grimly. "They won't leave, eh? Very well, make sure they all have weapons then. I won't have my people defenseless again; and make sure they know how to use them."

Another non-committal grunt and once again a small smiled formed on her lips as she crouched to make the jump. Haran would know what to do. He always did. Pushing as much force as she could into her legs, she propelled herself up and out of the ground to land softly just outside the hut. Carefully Kagome swept her senses across the area for a good 100 yards, making sure there was nothing that wasn't supposed to be there. Once satisfied, Kagome wrapped her cloak more securely around the girl and bent to cover the hole in the ground once more, sealing it with just a touch of her powers and pulling the wood back over it.

Quickly she was on her way again, racing across the Eastern Lands as the sun slowly rose from the dark, its dawn light settling over the lands she sped over. Soon she was back in the Western lands and upon entering those lands she almost stumbled at the rage that washed over her. Almost.

For once actually scared to see the Western Lord since she was a child, not counting her human years, Kagome hesitated. He shouldn't have been this angry; for all he knew she was just out for a walk because she couldn't sleep, which had been true at first. She'd just gotten slightly carried away. Still, this type of reaction was entirely unwarranted. As she crossed foot into his lands she could feel it all directed at her as well as his yōki coming closer and closer to her. Wary, she quickly woke the little girl. "Rin-chan, wake up. C'mon honey, time to wake-up."

Obligingly the little girl opened her eyes and stared up at Kagome in the adorable way only children can when just waking up. "What's wrong Kagome-sama?"

Kagome set the child down in front of her and put her hand on the girls shoulders as she knelt to speak to her. "There's another youkai coming. A very strong, very angry youkai. I might have to fight him, do you understand?"

Rin was a little confused but she nodded; if Kagome-sama wanted to fight another youkai it was up to her, wasn't it?

"No matter what, I want you to hide until I call your name. Even if tells you to come out of hiding, you stay there until I say so, alright? It's the only way to keep you safe. Now go! Get behind that tree and stay there!"

The little girl nodded and quickly stumbled away to hide behind said tree. As noted above, she didn't really understand what was going on but Kagome-sama was trying to protect her so Rin would do what she was told. Still, she couldn't help but to peek around the tree and watch; she really wanted to see what this new youkai looked like.

As soon as the little girl was out of sight, Kagome dropped both masking spells and allowed her own power to flow out around her, getting stronger by the second as Sesshoumaru approached. It wasn't just her purification that was strong. Born as she was in this time as the Eastern Lady, her power was strong enough to rival Sesshoumaru's. It wasn't conceit talking but a mere fact. However, though they maybe had the same strength, Kagome knew he had more experience in fighting than she did and would easily be able to defeat her. She hoped to prevent this fight. But if he was too incensed to listen, she needed to be prepared.

But the sight he brought with him was not something she could be easily readied for. His powers were shifting out around him, a dark red and blue, his eyes a deep blood red as he glared at her. He took a menacing step forward and she shuddered. "Miko…"

Ch. _Fin._

o.O.o

A/N – OMG. I am so bloody sorry you guys! I hadn't even realized a year has passed since I updated!! *cowers* Feel free to lynch me! As a treat I'll try and get the next chapter up ASAP. Or would you prefer I get the next chapter for And So They Danced out first? You tell me and I'll do my best to have it out be the end of September, maybe sooner! And yes, the next chapter will have more Sesshy/Kags action. XD Keep reading for Review Responses:

Sugar0o – As far as the other person who she's telling, well, I think I answered that with this chapter. ^_^ Also, it was only a year between her mortal death and her birth as a youkai. I'm not sure about bringing Miroku or Sango back but I might use Kirara later on in the story.

Sushiwriter09 – Thanks. Here's the update. XD

TheDarknessAroundMe – Glad you thought so. Hope you think the same of this chapter.

SayaHaji1648 – Haha, thanks! It makes me happy you think so!

Anita Tseu – She knows that Sessy is going to fall for her because Midoriko told her it was pre-ordained, the same way the rest of her life is.

Elemental573 – Hi again! I'm glad. It always worries me when I update because I think maybe I've gone too fast. *sweat drop* Oh well. Here's the next chapter. ^_^

Pandora-of-the-South - ^_^ You'll just have to keep reading. And thanks! Any questions thus far? Aside from where Sesshy was this whole chapter? ROFL

Lady Skorpio – Er…thanks, I think?

RasalynnLynx – Darn! I knew I messed that part up! About his age, he is definitely a good bit older than her. He was already 2-300 when she was a human, so add the year she was trapped in lumbo and the 150 that she's reached now, and he's almost 500 years old. Freaking geezer, robbing the cradle like this!!!

HentaiVixen – Cool! Here's the update!

Regin – You lust huh? I'm sure Sess will soon enough, haha! I've got a surprise for about 2 chapters from now. ^_^

Midnight-Flurry – I might have mentioned brothers in passing in the first chapter, when Sesshoumaru was musing about the East and having to give his blessing to Kagome, but I'm not really sure. ^_^ Yeah, I tend to do that sometimes, throw people off I mean. This chapter is actually kind of a bit boring, that's why it took so long to write; ((That's what I tell myself to make me feel better! XD)) I was just being lazy though. Sorry for that, haha!!

WhiteRose-Kurama – Well now, I can't tell you that, can I? That would give the entire story away!! And Kagome's just so much fun to toy with.

Neko4 – What site, if you don't mind my asking? I thought I'd removed all of my stories from other sites…_

Queen of the Past – I read. And here's the next chapter. Thanks for the review! See, I updated, now you have to read. XD

BlondeKell – Glad you liked it. n_n Hope you liked this chapter just as much.

Red24ly – Here's the update. ^_^

Svettstrumpa – Haha, thanks!

JoJo661538 – I will, hopefully. ^^ I won't let this end unfinished though. I might take forever to update, but I will finish it.

Kags-Sesshy – Thanks! XD

Kage Hasu – Well, it was bound to happen eventually, lol. And Rin and Jaken will be explained in a latter chapter, though I have re-introduced Rins character this chapter. ^_^ You'll get details for what happened to her great-great-grandmother next chapter, maybe. If Sess decides he wants to get all emotional and trapped in memories.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: A Reckoning

It happened too fast for Kagome to control; one minute she was standing in front of the tree, trying her best to protect Rin and the next moment, the child was standing in front of her, trying to keep her safe. And Sesshoumaru wasn't _stopping,_ even as Kagome saw recognition shine in his molten gold eyes. On instinct, Kagome pulled the girl towards her and turned quickly, wrapping her body around Rin's and hunching over, putting her back to the demon behind them. And nothing happened. She waited tensely from the Daiyoukai to attack, for the searing pain in her back from his poison tipped claws. But still, he made no move, even though she could feel him standing directly behind her; were she to stand erect, there would be no room between their bodies. Cautiously, she glanced over her shoulder at him, her arms still wrapped around the child, even as said child squirmed to get free, and she was momentarily stunned to see the vulnerability warping his face. Just as quickly as she spotted it, the emotion was gone.

"Miko." The single word was demand, request and order, all in one. He stood still, tense, inwardly struggling with desire and composure. He wanted to see the _child_, Rin, the girl. His ward.

Though Kagome knew he would never admit to it, she could hear the pain in that one word, that unasked question and with that pain came the knowledge that for the moment, Sesshoumaru would not hurt her, or Rin. Of course, thinking about it rationally now, Kagome should have known that at just the sight of the little girl, the Western Lord would not harm a single harm on her small head. Not with the strong resemblance between the girl and her great-something grandmother. Sighing with relief, the miko-youkai stood from her crouch and took a few quick steps forward, shuffling Rin with her, before turning around and settling her hands on the girl's shoulders. "She isn't who you think she is," she said quietly, though she wished she could ease that pain and give him back the original girl, his Rin, even as she understood that she mustn't let him confuse the two. Kagome remembered only too well the heartache of being confused for her reincarnation.

He was silent for a moment, his eyes only for Rin, before he glanced at Kagome. "A reincarnation."

She hesitated, and then nodded, even as she glanced over her shoulder at the rising sun, barely visible between the dense rows of trees. "We should go—

"Kagome-sama?"

Kagome stifled a smile and squeezed the girl's shoulders gently. "This is the man I told you about, Rin-chan. This is Sesshoumaru-sama. Say Hello."

Rin smiled a gap-toothed smile at the Lord and bowed, her childish voice uttering her greeting. "Hello Sesshoumaru-sama!" She stood then and continued to smile up at him, either unaware of the danger he presented or uncaring. Either way, she showed no fear to the towering demon lord.

Sesshoumaru said not a word, studying the girl, before he carefully set a hand atop her head. He let it rest there a moment, before turning on his heel and walking away, his arm at his side again and the only sound leaving his throat a, "Hn."

Kagome stared, rather stunned at the demon Lord's reaction, until she noticed Rin following along behind him, even as she glanced over her shoulder and waved at Kagome. "C'mon Kagome-sama, we're leaving!"

A memory slipped its way into her mind of a younger Sesshoumaru, when they'd all been fighting Naraku; a memory of Sesshoumaru walking away from them, a skinny Rin chasing after the two-headed dragon Ah-Un. "C'mon Kagome-chan, it's time to go!"

Smiling at the similarities of the situation, Kagome nodded at Rin. "I'm coming Rin-chan."

o.O.o

Screams filled the air, smoke burning in the noses of those unfortunate enough to still breathe even as fire scorched over their skin and burned them alive. Those who weren't wounded, dead or dying were fleeing or fighting, doing their best to put up the strongest resistance possible, with little to no effect. Darkness hung over the desecrated village, unnatural shadows haunting the inhabitants even as they centered over a point in the middle of the village. The sound of mad giggling echoed across the inferno of the now ruins and any who were unfortunate to still be alive, shuddered in fear even as they hunkered further down in their hidey holes.

Whispers and hisses followed the barmy laughter and then cries of anguish. "No, please!" The voice was hoarse and inhuman, attesting to the laughter of a mind not completely there. "I did what you asked!"

There was a low growl and again the distressed sound of a person in pain. "You were not told to destroy this village! And you were not to let the prisoner go!"

"I-I didn't let her go, I swear it! Something…_helped_ her!" Dark brown eyes watched in fear as the two conversed; his small body huddled beneath the porch of a house.

Another agonized whimper was uttered and the body cowered on the ground, his head bowed as blood dripped to the ground from the vicinity of his face. "You will go to her and convince her once again to give herself over to us."

"B-but what if she doesn't?" The question was plaintive and the mad-man, slowly drifting back under the control of his master, shaking still.

"Kill her."

The child watched then as the dark shadows from the sky converged upon the one with the scary voice who spoke of killing. They consumed him and in seconds, the mad man was the only one left in the middle of the village. Blood dripped down his face and his eyes were empty black voids of hate and insanity, consuming his mind. It scared the child so badly, his hands grew damp with sweat and the small item he clutched in his hands slipped. Those crazy eyes landed on his hiding place and with a whispered prayer, the child grabbed the small talisman back in small hands and held it close. For a moment, he thought it might be too late but let out a slow breath of thanks when the man turned away. Closing his eyes, he tried to ignore the screams sounding from his home, the scent of fire as it was scorched to the ground. And he hoped for the lady who had given him the trinket, because surely she would help him.

o.O.o

It was tense in the broad study, neither of the two youkai saying a word as Rin lay between them, sound asleep. They'd set there before the fire, surrounded by shelves filled with scrolls and paintings on rice screens depicting battles, for nearly twenty minutes. The girl had fallen asleep almost immediately upon their arrival, curled into a ball with her back to Kagome and facing Sesshoumaru. Kagome was staring into the fire, waiting intently for him to scold her for what she was sure he thought were her careless actions and lies. When he finally did speak, it wasn't at all what she expected.

"Miko…you will hear of Rin. And you then pass her guardianship to This Sesshoumaru."

She gawked, struggling between indignation and anger, but the look in the older youkai's eyes stopped any retort from forming in her agile mind. Mutely, she nodded.

o.O.o

_He raced through the forest, a secret pleasure he shared with no one or thing. It was a high for him, to move swifter than the wind, more graceful than a feline and with more sense than any of the lowly humans populating the lands like rabbits. It was exhilarating to feel the breeze tussling his hair, to feel the blur of the senses as he moved faster than any other creature in the area. He reveled in it and the sense of elation slowly demolished any of the anger the Southern Lord had built in him. _

_It was ridiculous the amount of fury the damned wolf cub could incite in him, especially over a battle three long years since past. He knew it was not logical to still thirst for revenge for the battle stolen from him, but he could not stop the rage from building inside of him at any mention the stupid wolf made of the young miko's name. Kagome. How he fantasized about burrowing his poisonous claws in her soft human flesh, to replace the flash of that which she'd ended. Naraku. As much as he wanted the girl on the ground before him, it was the hanyou he really wanted to decimate. Even now, three years after that literally time-stopping battle, he wanted the evil spiders blood on his hands, gleefully so._

_Sighing, he slowly took his emotions back under the iron-clad control he was near to infamous for and breached the barrier alerting him of intruders on his land, even as he let out a spurt of power to warn his guard he was coming. But he received no answering call of power and even as everything in him tensed for battle, he sped faster towards his holdings._

_The mask he kept so carefully in place was the only thing between him and the rage he'd only just calmed. His home was…decimated. What he'd left only days before as a glorious fortress was now only ruins of wood and stone, crumbled to the ground with the scent of his servants blood filtering in and out of his senses. He stilled as a single scent did not reach his nose, the only one that really mattered, the one he would kill for without question. Rin. She wasn't there. For one moment, the mask was gone and a roar of pure fury ripped itself from his throat, as demonic and canine as he was by blood, and chilling. His yōki rallied around him like a tempest, angry gold darts of energy merging to black on the edges. As quickly as it was there, it was gone and he stood alone on the hill above his home, seething, craving revenge, promising it for every hair hurt on his wards head. He would find her. And then he would kill every single person who dared to lay a hand on her._

_o.O.o_

_By the time he found her, four months had passed and she was three months with child. Without a word of warning, he killed them , one by one until all four of them were nothing but a pile of body parts on the ground of the disgusting hut. They were merely underlings and Sesshoumaru had long since annihilated the three advisors who thought to turn on him because of the girl, considering him weak for his affection for the child. They too died a bloody death. As he stood over the bodies, unable to take his eyes away from Rin. She was thin, too much so and pale. Bruises covered her, angry welts forming marks all over the parts of her body he could see. And she was crying. It was the tears that nearly drove him to more destruction as his ward stared up at him lifelessly, her cheeks streaked with tears._

_He was as gentle as he could manage, picking up her frail form, the bump in her belly all the more distinct because of how skinny she had become. He took her back to his lands and to the camp site he had used the entire time, when necessary. He bathed her at the nearby hot spring, wondering when his ward had become a young woman, even as he held back the potent rage stirring within him. As soon as he could, he left her to find a healer and when the youkai and the healing woman returned, he left the two women alone. _

_She cringed whenever he came near, cried during the day and screamed with horror in the night. He was ever so slowly going mad with anger over something he had no control over. It was a whim, something he hadn't even set out to do at the beginning of the day. He brought her flowers. For the first time since he'd taken her from her rapist two months past, she didn't have nightmares. He didn't know what the importance of the flowers were, but the next day, he took her to a flower field and made their camp just a few minutes' walk from it. As the days passed, she gradually returned to the girl she had been, though she was now more woman than child. And at 5 months, hugely pregnant. _

_It was hard to bring himself close to her, harder for her to let him do so, but they became guardian and ward once again. Despite his protest, though he offered none verbally, she wanted to keep the child no matter the circumstances of its conception. And so he let her. If he had known the consequences a mere four months later, he would never have agree; no matter how gruesome, he would have taken the child from her wound. _

_He had to gather two more humans to come, unwillingly, to help with the birth. He threatened and frightened, gaining his way because it was what she wanted. The child. And he would move heaven and hell to make sure she got it. But he knew something was wrong, could smell the difference in her scent as the child pushed itself into the world, bit by little bit. She was dying. He didn't think anything of it, would simply use Tenseiga to bring her back. The baby was male. And the sword would not work._

o.O.o

She tried at first, to keep the tears to herself because she knew the Lord across from her, memories both human and demon and she knew he would not want her pity. But she couldn't stop herself, just as it wasn't pity that coursed through her heart. If he had bothered to look away from the sleeping child between them, he would have seen the compassion swimming in her eyes, and the fury. Rin would have been fourteen, a child just as much as the eight year old before her. Swallowing back any comments of apology for what had happened, she fisted her hands in her lap. "What happened to the baby?"

Finally, he looked from Rin to her and the challenge mingling with the pain in his eyes stole her breath. "I did not want the child. But I could not kill it either. So I took it to your father's lands." He'd kept track of it of course, but it was the furthest he could go for something he so desperately wanted to hate.

Keeping her gaze, he set a hand on Rin's head, his fingers delving into the soft black locks. It was clearly a symbol of possession and one Kagome was hard pressed to deny him. While the child was officially one of her people, she knew it went beyond mere numbers and loyalties. Sesshoumaru had a claim on the girl that was more potent than any Kagome could ever assume. And anyways, she didn't particularly want to deprive the demon lord from something he slowly clearly needed and wanted, not that he'd ever admit to such a thing. But she didn't doubt that he would go to any means to ascertain the child stayed under his care. "She will be safer here than in my lands."

For a moment, Kagome wasn't sure what he would say or do and she was reminded of the Lord she'd known as a human when the excitement filled her as she'd challenged him. And that was something _she_ would never admit to.

He inclined his head, the only form of acceptance she would get from him.

o.O.o

She watched him every day, taking careful note of how he moved, catching any telling sign, if any, that would give away his attack. But mostly, she watched is face, his expression, keeping track of any emotion that crossed his features while he was calling forth his Whip of Light.

Now, nearly a week after having brought Rin back from the underground cave, she was just outside the walls to Sesshoumaru's lands, her eyes narrowed as she thought about the best way to summon her own whip. She thought it might be something like calling on her purification to bring to her hands, but she wasn't entirely sure and though Kagome knew it would probably be a good idea for him to teach her how to do it, she didn't particularly want to put up with any more of his snide comments or disdainful looks because her fighting skill wasn't exactly up to par with his. So now she was going to do it on her own, Sesshoumaru be damned.

She closed her eyes and focused on the energy swirling around inside her and without thought, focused primarily on the purification that was known to her. Automatically, at her gentle calling, the power gathered in her hands, much as it had when she'd been naught but human and training to use them on her own without a weapon. Scowling, she let the energy slide back down where it came from and this time focused on the yōki that was mingling with the purity. To her surprise, it was like calling on an old friend and she realized with chagrin that she would of course know how to utilize this power as easily as she would the other. But this too, merely gathered in her hands, powerful to be sure, but not what she wanted.

Biting her lip, she let the energy go and plopped down to the ground to think. Why couldn't she form the whip? What was she doing so differently than Sesshoumaru that her powers refused to cooperate? It shouldn't have been difficult; all she had to do was create a corporeal form out of the energy, much like Kikyou's bow and arrows.

She knew part of it had to do with the two separate powers running through her blood and so she closed her eyes again and focused on the two powers, willing them to take shape in her mind as two different balls of energy, one pink the other a pale blue and as she'd seen in science class all those years ago, the two powers pushed away from each other much as opposing ends of magnates were wont to do. She would have to force them together but at what cost to her? Should she risk it? What would the melding of those two separate powers cause around her or worse yet, bring towards her?

Unknown to her, a pair of golden eyes watched silently as she sat in the grass and he watched with disguised interest as two small orbs of energy formed to float in front of her, two different colors and seemingly harmless. But he could feel the energy, even from the distance that separated them between wall and forest. And it was massive. Sesshoumaru couldn't even being to fathom what she was doing or why but something wasn't right about it. Even as he moved forward to interfere though, a shiny, transparent barrier stopped him in his tracks. Without thought, his sword was drawn and ready, his body tensed for action but his eyes were all for the miko. Clearly this was a wall meant to keep things out but never before had he seen the woman across from him produce something so malevolent looking. Instinctively he knew it wasn't her doing.

Completely unaware and entirely focused on her thoughts, Kagome studied the two balls of energy floating in her mind's eye before she reached out and set a hand on each orb. The warmth from each was gentle and familiar, much as when she'd summoned each power individually only moments before. Experimentally, she pushed them together a little and barely noticed the tingle that formed in her chest, merely passing it off as a symbol of excitement. Proceeding to push them closer together, it was as if her mind was numb to the pain beginning to build in her body, hot and dangerous. Trance like, she continued to push the orbs of energy together, imagining them getting closer together as easily as if she were merely sliding them around on a table top.

Sesshoumaru was snarling now, slashing at the shield with his claws as not a one of his swords would react to the shield before him, angry beyond belief at the girl for trying such a stupid thing. She was pale and heaving as she struggled to push the two balls of energy together in what he could only guess was an attempt to meld the two powers. He could feel the evil intent in the strength of the shield, could almost hear its creator laughing at him as he struggled with it, fighting to gain access to the girl. Impatient, he growled at her, a snarl almost as feral as the one he'd let out upon their very first meeting all those years ago. "MIKO!"

"…_ko!_"

She blinked as the sounded echoed through her mind and she almost opened her eyes, but it sounded again and she frowned in consternation at the commanding voice, even as she obeyed it.

'**Continue as you are Miko!'**

Irritated now, she focused once again on the energy in her mind and on forcing the two to meld together. There was no force to stop her hands from pushing them together in one go yet she was unable to make them move together any faster than at a snail's pace and the contradiction bothered her, itched at something in the back of her mind…if only she could remember what it was…

Outside, the orbs of energy were only inches apart now and power crackled wildly around her hands and the orbs; the two opposing energies were stirring up a wind around her, a wind so fierce it sliced at any exposed skin.

Even in her mind she felt the odd pulling all along her body but especially around her hands but now, try as she might, Kagome could not pull herself out of the meditation. Somewhere in the back of her mind, evil laughter sounded and a shudder raced down her spine.

'**Too late little miko. You lose.'**

Sesshoumaru focused on the barrier as a crack formed under his latest attack and he moved with more vigor to continue his assault. But it was too late; he looked up in time to see the two balls of energy touch and slide together as if one. Sound filled the area and light blinded him as lightening raced across his skin and he was flung away from her, her scream echoing in his ears as he cursed.

She let out a breath and a scream as pain seized her, as if her insides were being twisted and turned and tugged and put back in the wrong place. She could feel the small scratches along her hands and arms and some on her cheeks, minimal but painful. But that was nothing compared to the fire racing through her as the two powers in her blood struggled for dominance inside of her. Suddenly, through the foggy world of pain, a hand formed around her neck and his yӧki dominated both her own demonic power and the purity that fought it. He quelled them both until all she felt was numb tingles, as if her body had just been asleep.

Slowly, warily, Kagome opened her eyes and stared up at him, dazed confusion flooding her scent. Before she could even get out a word, his hand tightened around her throat and he pressed her into the ground; it was only then she realized that he sat astride her.

"You will _never _practice such foolishness again. This Sesshoumaru knows not what you planned to do or why, nor do I care. Such displays of recklessness are the exact reason your lands were stolen from you and your people killed!" By the time he was finished speaking, his voice was more a snarled whisper than anything and rage poured off him in waves, tinting his eye red.

"But-

"ENOUGH! You will do as I say or you will spend the rest of this war locked in your room. Is that clear, Miko?"

Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes and she looked away from him, barring her neck to him in a sign of submission. She knew, as much as any female demon did, that his anger now was part him, part his inner youkai. But the beast inside him was the one with the most control right now and so she bit her lip to keep from crying as he leaned down and bit her shoulder as a form of punishment. His mark would take days to heal, no matter the blood that ran through her and she would be forced to recognize him as the alpha male, more so than normal, at least until the bite mark faded and he could no longer see it.

As quickly as he'd bitten her, Sesshoumaru was up and away from, glaring at her as he licked her blood from his lips. "Be prepared to leave in the morning. We leave at dawn."

Something inside of her itched to ask but she suppressed it, knowing it would do no good for her and would only serve to make him enforce more dominance upon her. And though she knew what her fate would be in the end, knew that the demon inside of her was beginning to long for it, she was loath to bring that anger back to her. So she kept her mouth shut as he walked away from her and back to the gates of the walls, pausing only long enough to glare back at her and ensure she was following. Sighing, she sat up and carefully pushed herself to her feet and moved towards him, the scratches on her hands and arms healing, the laughter inside her mind forgotten.

o.O.o

It was hard to imagine a relationship between the two of them, when all that seemed to form between them was anger and animosity. She wanted desperately to think that Midoriko had told her a lie because there as simply no way for any kind of romance to build between them. How could such a thing be possible when he constantly addressed her with anger and impatience and she was too confused to offer up much of a fight. She sighed and absently reached up to brush a strand of hair out of her face.

"Concentrate Kit." The words were quiet but none the less, Kagome knew it was an order.

Huffing a bit in frustration, Kagome reluctantly turned her thoughts back to the meditation. She could focus for ten more minutes, surely. And then she would be home free for the rest of the day. Of course…now that she thought about it, in both her human and demon life times, being still both inwardly and outwardly, was never really her strong suit. But still. It was for the best; he was attempting to teach her how to meld the two powers without harming herself but after the last fiasco when she'd done it herself, Kagome was loath to endeavor for such a feat again, even if he was there to help her. It would probably help, mentally anyway, if Sesshoumaru would do something else aside from glare daggers at her when they weren't meditating.

"That's enough for the day." Gracefully, he stood and cast his eyes upwards to gauge the location of the sun. It was barely mid-morning. There was still plenty of time to get going. Without another word to her, he turned on his heel and started walking away.

Kagome, well used to his antics but still annoyed by them, could not stop herself from commenting. Not anymore. Irritated and tired of the palpable tension between them, the endless trek with little to no conversation and even less companionship not to mention _friendship_, Kagome stood but stayed where she was. For a few minutes, when he was at least a yard away from her, the youkai-miko wasn't sure he was going to stop, thought maybe he was going to keep on going whether she was with him or not. But just as she was warring with herself about going to him, stop he did and even with the distance between them, Kagome could still see the way his eyes narrowed, could feel the irritation buzzing off of him. _Good,_ she thought, narrowing her own eyes in suit and scowling at him, _it's about damn time. I really don't want things to get physical again._

"Kitsune…"

"You," she said, relishing her coming words with an obvious smirk, "are being an ass."

She could see the minute surprise in his eyes before it was quickly masked by that impeccable mask of his. When he slowly started towards her again, Kagome hid her triumph with a bland stare until he was standing only twenty feet away from her. She could see his jaw clenching and unclench as he held in his anger at her; it was the only sign of emotion he gave away. "For three days, you've walked me into the ground, completely ignoring me as you do it unless we're doing your damned meditation, treating me like a child and an inferior all at the same time! Since you seem to have forgotten, why don't I remind you of one little fact. I'm the Eastern Lady. I deserve just as much respect as you show the other Lords and Ladies. And even if I weren't, I would have thought knowing me as a child, in this life and helping me numerous times, would have made us friends. Yet you still treat me as if I'm as lesser than the ground you walk on. Well! I'm tired of it. So it's going to stop. Now."

Kagome was well aware that she'd broken just about every etiquette rule her mother had taught her growing up as a Lady but every painstakingly learned lesson went out the window with her anger and she could do naught but stare at the demon opposite her with clear annoyance. The beast inside of her was shaking its head even as it prepared for battle. She'd crossed a line and there was no telling how the inu youkai would react.

To say that Sesshoumaru was a bit on the annoyed side was an understatement. That the girl before him had the gall to call him an _ass_, of all things, was a bit beyond him and the beast inside of him seethed. It wanted blood. Ally she may be, ward in the oddest definition of the term, certainly, but she was still the beta as far as she was concerned. And she would remain that way. The only reason she was allowed to finish her rant was because he wanted to throttle her and if he were to interrupt and succeed in his attempted murder, he was certain it would not bode well for the future. Still, as she finished, he remained silent, watching, until he was under control.

"This Sesshoumaru does not take orders from slips of girls who do not know how to control their own powers. There is no such thing as a friend and for you to assume that I am yours is beyond inane." He took a menacing step forward and allowed his yoki to pour out around them, smothering her aura in a sign of dominance.

The mark that was still healing on her neck sizzled with his power even as it was suddenly harder for her to breath, his power nearly squashing what little she allowed to show. And she knew as instinctively as any animal did, that the only way they would come to even terms was through a fight for dominance. The human part of her, the part that strive for peace and would never fully understand such animalistic ways, shuddered and tried to plead with logic. But now was not the time for logic and reasoning; it was a time for battle, a time to show the dog before her that she was just as powerful as he was and that she wasn't going to be ground under the heel of his boot.

Sighing, she bit by bit released the numerous locks holding her powers under control. "I did warn you, just so you know." Then she attacked, lunging at his neck with claws and teeth even as her power met his head to head.

He dodged her easily even as he gave into his instincts and gave in to the battle. There would be no other way for there to be peace between the two of them unless they reached some sort of reckoning, an understanding. And he would win, there would be no doubt about that because it was time for the girl to finally learn her place, from both the past and the present she'd been a thorn in his side, though he refused to even acknowledge her good points. When she lashed out at him with her foot, Sesshoumaru grabbed it, twisted and toss her over his shoulder so that she would slam into a tree, any tree.

But she pulled a graceful maneuver and flipped as she flew so that when she hit the tree, though it was demolished under the momentum of his attack, she pushed off of it and attacked again with another kick. It would have caught him on the chin had he not stepped back just in time. He tried for her foot again but she pulled out of the way and dropped to the ground in a crouch, watching him warily, before standing and running. Away from him. Being a dog, she knew there would be no way for him to ignore the urge to chase, even as he would call her a coward for running away from him. But she wasn't running away, she was leading. And here, here she would have the advantage.

Or at least, she would have, if he hadn't suddenly appeared in front of her, his poison whip in hand. Surprised, Kagome was unable to move out of the way in time and when he lashed at her with the weapon, it split open the skin of the arm she'd raised to protect her face and she couldn't help the hiss of pain that escaped her even as she moved away from him, power rising once more. Raising her hands and ignoring the burning pain of the poison, she attacked again. "Fox Fire!"

Swirling balls of blue and orange fire converged on him, singeing in places. It didn't really hurt but it was enough of a distraction that he was late in blocking her attack as she tackled him, bringing them both to the ground in a moment of weakness on his part. The scent of her blood and his filled the air and hers was intoxicating to his canine senses. There would be time to think about that later though and so he pushed it and his eagerly, blood-lusting beast back into the recesses of his mind, even as he locked his legs around her waist and reversed their positions.

But it wasn't to remain so and before he'd even managed to press his claws against her throat to signal his win, she performed a feat of flexibility and wiggled until she could just barely wrap her feet around his neck and flip him backwards. She stood warily and took a few careful steps back, watching as he stood but did not move. Words itched to form in her mind but Kagome knew better than to distract herself with useless words that would get her nowhere in the long run, especially when words were not the way to win the battle.

For once, before she could react, he charged and one well aimed punch had her flying through the forest, her stomach aching. She was so stunned that she couldn't react swiftly enough and ended up slamming into a tree, her weight and momentum cracking it in half. Irritated more than anything that this fight wasn't going as she wanted it to, she moved quickly and pushed herself up, just in time to block a slice of his claws that would have nearly severed her arm. She returned the attack instead and was rewarded with a stunned look and blood blooming from a small scratch on his chest. She danced away then and concentrated on putting her full effort into the fight. There was no way she could allow him to win.

The fight continued well on into the day, both dog and fox sustaining mild to intense injuries but neither willing to allow the other to win. Stubborn pride kept them going while anger only fed the fuse. But she was tiring and eager for the battle to be over. And so she made a split second decision and rushed him, purity gathering in her hands as she ran. She flung the orb of energy at him and then jumped over him only to land behind and last out with a kick that would have sent him flying, had it landed. Her contingency plan formed in her hands though even as he grabbed her ankle and pulled her close, his other hand rising faster than a snake, to strike. He stopped at the last moment, his claws pressed against her neck, poison dripping out slowly. "Give over, Miko."

She was quiet and still, lest her movement caused the deadly acid to run faster down her body. But when the words ordering her surrender left his mouth, she dropped her eyes to his chest where her hands rested; pressed against his heart was an arrow formed from reki. If she were to add more pressure it would slide into his heart and instantly purify him. Theoretically. "You first," she said sweetly, dragging her eyes back up to his.

She could have sworn some kind of emotion passed through his shuttered eyes but just as quickly it was gone and she was left wondering. Before she realized what had happened, he dropped both his hands and took a quick step back, his eyes appraising as he studied her. Finally, his voice cold, he said, "We are not friends."

Narrowing her eyes, Kagome was half tempted to call him an idiot but all that would likely do was to cause another fight, so she held her tongue on that count. But she wasn't content to let the entire matter drop. "But we _are_ equals." She watched him as he did her, waiting, wondering.

"Hn." He turned and walked away.

o.O.o

For the third time the next night, Kagome stopped where she was and sent a querying glance around her surroundings. She could have sworn there was…. Closing her eyes, she set out her senses again and felt around, searching for whatever it was that caused the niggle at the base of her spine, the hair to rise on the back of her neck. As before though, there was nothing and the youkai miko was beginning to wonder if maybe she was going insane. Sighing, she opened her eyes and started to retract her powers but thought better of it, instead keeping them spread out as far as they would go while at the same time trying to keep her aura under wraps.

Slowly, she started off after her companion, shaking her head at the look he gave her when she was walking next to him again. There was no point in explaining it right now, not when she wasn't really sure what was going on, what was edging at the very edges of her senses.

Despite the long, heated battle from the day before, her wounds were completely healed and even though she knew it was normal because of the youkai blood coursing through her, the human that was still trying to meld with the new her was slightly amazed by it. She was tempted to ask him about it but she knew how silly that would be. She and demon Kagome were still the same person. It just took reminding every so often.

She felt it again, to the right this time but she knew better than to stop and search. As quickly as it was there, it was gone. Pursing her lips, she kept her eyes ahead even as she slowly drew her powers back. "Did you feel that?"

Sesshoumaru didn't have to ask what she was talking about it. For the past hour, though he hadn't said anything about it, he'd felt the same small sensation at the back of his mind and it had slowly been grating on his nerves. The power signature wasn't strong, not worth garnering much worry. It was hiding and the daiyoukai hated such cowardly tactics but he knew to rush into battle when an unseen enemy was beyond stupidity. "Hn. Leave it be. For the time being."

Kagome sighed, knowing he was right but she hated having such an unknown force at her back. Still, she kept to what little patience she could lay claim to and instead focused on something else. "Hey, Sesshoumaru, where are you leading us to, anyway?"

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, before focusing once again on the path before them, lit up by moon light and stars. "Use your nose Kitsune. Or have you forgotten how to use that too?"

She glared at him, a scowl forming on her lips. "What you mean, _too?" _she demanded, ire rising in her eyes. She almost stopped again but she knew he would simply keep on walking. "I haven't forgotten anything!"

"You bandaged your injuries."

"But-

"You're lack in ability of self-defense?"

"That's not-

"Not what?" he asked. If she'd but listened closer, she would have heard the quiet mirth in his voice.

"True!" The word was muttered and she narrowed her eyes at him in mild irritation. "I know how to fight, darn it! It just took some adjusting again was all." She wasn't going to mention that she still had to alter a little bit, remember certain techniques that were once second nature to her before she'd remembered what she used to be. Mostly, it was fear. Things that would have killed her as a human came easily now, second nature. And of course it would. She might as well be immortal now for all the human inanities that wouldn't harm her.

He said nothing to that but it was clear his silence was an answer all its own. Sesshoumaru stopped abruptly and turned his attention to the sky above them. It would be dawn soon and they would need to rest soon. He hadn't really allowed a stop since they'd left the palace four days before and though she hadn't said anything, he knew she must be tiring. And hungry. Though he'd left a handful of times throughout the past few days to hunt for himself, Sesshoumaru had made it clear that he would do no such thing for her. If she wanted her food, she would have to hunt for it on her own. And she hadn't. He didn't know what she was doing to sustain herself but it wasn't hunting, of that he was certain. Not that he was going to let her know he'd been keeping such a careful eye on her.

"We'll stop here for a few hours."

She stopped a few feet ahead of him, having been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed she was leaving him behind. Surprised at the suddenness of the order, Kagome glanced around them. There wasn't much to commend it as a worthwhile resting spot, other than the mammoth size boulders lining one side of the path they were walking on. There was no telling what he was thinking but she supposed this was as good a place as any. Besides, if they stopped, whatever it was that was following them might finally decide to show itself. "Alright."

Looking around again, Kagome shrugged and moved to sit on the ground in front of one of the massive rocks. "So we're heading south. Have you contacted Kouga and Ayame since all of this began?"

When he didn't even acknowledge her, instead moving to the opposite side of the path to sit in front of a tree and lean against it, she let out a huff of breath and rolled her eyes. "You know, it would be nice if you managed to form an answer every once in a while, instead of so rudely ignoring everything that leaves my lips." Kagome knew she was needlessly provoking him but she couldn't help it, no matter how stupid an idea it might be. Boredom and irritation were two of her worst enemies and it was something she'd always had trouble fighting.

"You might try keeping your words in your mouth, girl, or do you forget your manners?" He wasn't even looking at her, his eyes closed, his face tilted up towards the moon lightened sky.

She scowled at him but kept her comments to herself, much as he'd asked. For the most part, she hadn't been keeping up the façade he'd probably come to expect from her as the Eastern Lady. What was the point when he knew her for what she really was and even still was trying to help her. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to any extent to try and curb his behavior around her. Something skittered across her senses, the same feeling she'd felt only an hour earlier but instead of disappearing quickly, it lagged. Faster than she had been earlier in the day, she was up and moving through the thick forest. Whatever it was, it hid its presence again but it was too late.

It was loud as it tried to escape, rattling bushes and shrubs as it ran and if she listened carefully she could hear the creature panting as it hurried away from her. But she was faster and with a muffled curse as she almost stumbled over a root but she brought down the source of power, tackling it. She lay there for a moment, holding whatever it was tightly to her as it struggled to free itself. It was small and shaking, fear emanating from it. Fear? Surprised, Kagome rolled over and stood, bringing the small creature with her.

Slowly, she held him up into a shaft of moonlight. He was…just a child. Small and scared, curly blond hair hanging over olive colored skin, he was shaking so badly, tremors were running through her arms from holding him up. Her eyes caught on something in his hands and she narrowed her eyes at the small flower shaped item. Now that she could see it, a familiar power echoed from it and she remembered giving the small charm to a neko youkai only a few years old before she'd been captured by her unknown enemy. But that child had been only three, maybe four...the timing made sense though, now that she thought about it.

Shaking her head, Kagome rid herself of the useless thoughts. What was he doing here? Where was his family? Why wasn't he in the village of other orphans she'd left him in all that time ago? And what was his name? "Damn." The word was whispered and not meant for the child but clearly it took it as such because his trembling increased. She didn't hesitate to pull him closer to her into a hug, holding him tightly and rubbing her hands up and down his back in a soothing motion. "It's alright, little one. Shush now…." She continued like that even as she moved back to the path she'd left in chase of him.

When she arrived again, Kagome met her companion's and at the stern look shadowing his features, shook her head and moved back to the rock she'd originally been leaning against, cuddling the child closer to her. He was quiet still and though his shaking had stopped, she could still feel the fear coming off of him in waves and it killed something inside of her to feel that coming from a child. But there was nothing she could do for the time being except to try and sooth him.

Chap. _Fin_

o.O.o

(A/N – All I can say is I'm sorry for the long update. But I'm changing the way I do that. From now on I'm only going to work on one story at a time. So until I finish this one, I won't be updating any of the others left that need to be. Hopefully this will mean faster updates. R & R, as always! Review responses listed below.

Review Responses:

To: Mika the dark Princess, juusan'ya, Rasalynnlynx, SayaHaji1648, Regin, Kaga Hasu and Dimensiontimetraveler -

Thank you! I'm so glad you guys all liked the last chapter and I hope this one lives up to expectations and that you look forward to the next chapter!

Sugar0o – I feel really bad for not updating now after all the great reviews you keep giving me. :facepalm: And your intuitiveness as far as what's going on is actually astounding, though I can't tell you what you're right about as that would just give things away. _ And you've paid me a really amazing compliment with your last comment about how I'm writing this. I just got tired of seeing all these stories where Kagome was turned into a demon but it just didn't work for me. So I made my own. But thanks! I hope to keep hearing from you!

Pandora – Yeah, I couldn't resist bringing her back as she was one of the only ones I didn't mention when she was a child. I figured it would give a little bit of insight into Sesshoumaru's past after Kagome too, though I'm not sure I did too good of a job with that. But I'm working on it, lol. And Sess actually won't be able to smell Shippou because there is a spell in the Kashi underground that will hide all scents, so it wouldn't have gotten on Kagome even though she hugged him, though it would have been fun to make him jealous, lol! And I just want to say thanks for being just a great person and leaving such awesome reviews for my stories! I hope you remain interested in them and I look forward to hearing from you again!

HikariNoTenshi-san – Thanks so much for the review! And no, he won't be calling her mama again. In this story he sees past/human Kagome as more of a sister but he's more acquainted with future/demon Kagome at this point and so he's going to struggled between being personable with her as when he was younger and remaining cold on the outside, which both of their positions demand. But you won't read more about that for several more chapters yet.

I love the whole Inu gang – So I hope this answers your question and I hope the next chapter keeps you interested! Thanks so much for the review!

Methodical Madness – haha! So here's that update….a long time after the review! Thanks for sticking with me! I really hope you read/like this chapter! *spazzes*

Centari - There's always going to be confrontation between those two! Hope you like this one!

Kuromeru hi Tsuki – I'm so sorry it took me such a long time to update! Look forward to hearing from you again!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Southern Charm

Hours passed in which the moon slowly sunk below the horizon and bit by bit, Kagome could feel the child easing in her arms. For a moment, she drifted back to years ago when she was still just human Kagome and Shippou was still just a cub, only a little bigger than the kitten in her arms right now. It made her itch for that time, when things were so simple with her life, when the only thing she had to do was help defeat Naraku. And even then….

The child stirred in her arms and startled, she glanced down into big brown eyes and saw a world of pain where only innocence should have shown. She remembered then as she stared down into the child's eyes who he was.

o.O.o

_She moved through the village, hidden among many in a disguise of red hair and green eyes, a black cloak wrapped around her shoulders. Glancing at the people and surroundings, anger curled up inside of her as she watched the desolation that wrecked the village. Orphaned children gathered in alleys between rows of huts, warily avoiding angry adults lest they receive a beating. The huts were all lacking, burnt and decrepit, open to the cold winter air and barely habitable. Just months ago, in April, the village had thrived. But now it was December and everything was ruined. _

_Though this village, aptly named Ruin, was not as dear to her heart as Kani, it still held importance to her. These demons were those that had been purposely harmed by humans, those that could not bear to be around what they deemed lesser beings. She couldn't blame them, not really, not when she'd seen firsthand what humans were capable of at the knee of her father, while patrolling his lands. But she wondered how they would react when they were forced to merge with Kani in the evacuation effort. _

_By the time she was on the other end of the village, she was seething with rage, desperate to put an end to the war before it even started, craving the feel of the enemies blood on her hands. So lost in rage was she that at the sound of a jeering yell and children cheering, Kagome turned on her heel and strode toward the noise, the edges of her eyes bleeding red; what she saw only made it worse. _

_Four children, pre-teens really but children all the same, were surrounding a smaller boy who was standing with his head held high, his face blank of emotion with his shoulders back. But he was shaking; she could see it in the tiny fists clenched at his side. Silently, anger building, she stood in the shadows and watched, waited._

"_How many times we gotta tell you ya little pussy, to stay the hell outta the main district?" The words were accompanied with a hard shove and the boy stumbled back a step but still did not utter a sound. "Your kind ain't welcome here, you mangy cat!"_

"_Shut-up!" The little boy yelled, surprise crossing his features at his outburst, before it was carefully replaced with the placid mask again. _

_One of the pre-teens, maybe 11 or 12 from looking at him, snarled and slammed his fist into the younger boys jaw. The boy stumbled backwards and would have fallen if the two behind him hadn't caught him and forced him to remain standing. The older one moved to hit the boy again but something stopped him. A blue glow surrounded his wrist and before he could understand what was happening, he was rushing forward again and slamming his fist into one of his companions. The young man stumbled backwards and released the boy. _

_Chaos reigned as a blue glow surrounded the wrists and ankles of all four of the older boys and they began to attack each other. It took only moments for them to realize what was happening and soon, they were the ones shaking in fear. _

"_What RIGHT do you have to bully him? What do you think makes you better than him?" Her voice echoed in the small alley behind the houses and for one heart-stopping second, the boys thought they had encountered a ghost, before she appeared in the alley, her hood down around her shoulders as she glared at them. The young boy wasn't looking at her, standing stiff in the center of the pre-teen boys though she could still smell the fear on him. _

_The pre-teens didn't answer, all of them staring in stunned apprehension as the woman before them swelled out just a small bit of her power, smothering them. They didn't answer, too scared to do much more than shake in their worn, holey boots. Kagome smirked, the anger seething in her so much that she didn't care she was terrorizing four young ones. "Leave. This boy is under my protection. You so much as touch a hair on his head and I'll make sure you never live to reach your Coming of Age ceremony. Do I make myself clear?" Just for extra emphasis, she exerted more pressure with her aura and had them crying from the over-bearing pain of it. _

_When they gave stuttering answers, their faces soaked from tears, Kagome smirked again and released them. Immediately they retreated, their feet pounding into the ground so hard in their fear that dirt rose. _

_Alone, the boy still did nothing but stare straight ahead, his face still empty of all emotion. Sighing, Kagome moved forward and knelt in front of him until they were eye level. His eyes were a warm chocolate brown and she watched him focus on her before he was impassive again. "It's okay, little one. I'm not going to hurt you." Saying that, she slowly let the illusion surrounding her appearance disappear until her regular black hair and blue eyes were in place. _

_His eyes widened and he took a quick step back, offering up a quick, clumsy bow as a blush stained his cheeks. He didn't rise from the bow though and kept his eyes on the ground. "Ka-kagome-Sama!" He'd heard stories of her before, about a Lady who was both cold and warm, who wasn't biased to one race or another and who usually had a soft spot for children. But here she'd basically beat up the kids who were trying to beat him up. It didn't make any sense. _

_She smiled at him and a small giggle escaped her lips, filled with amusement. "You can stand tall, little neko-kun. Only idiots need bow to me." Studying him, Kagome was glad to see the impassive mask gone but the fear and confusion that replaced it bothered her. She was itching with questions for the child but she knew the pride of her people and knew such inquires would not be welcomed, even by such a young one. So she curbed her tongue and asked instead, "Why were they picking on you? And what's your name?" _

_He bit his lip and Kagome could see the indecision warring on his features, before he shrugged. "I am Loki," he whispered and dropped his eyes again. _

"_Loki," she repeated, rolling the name about on her tongue. There was something familiar about it but she couldn't place it and so she pushed it to the back of her mind for later thought. "Loki, I'm Kagome. And I have something for you that might come in handy…"_

_o.O.o_

A small smile formed and Kagome hugged him all the tighter, before letting him go, knowing such contact made him uneasy. He climbed out of her lap as quickly as possible, his form unexpectedly gracefully and surprisingly tall. When she'd first met him only four years before, he'd only reached the middle of her thigh but now he stood at least up to waist. It made her heart ache to think of how long it had been since she'd seen him, been able to help him. And now he was here. Why? Why wasn't he with his family at Ruin?

A sound on the other side of the path caught her attention and Kagome glanced up to see Sesshoumaru studying them. She blinked and then nodded slightly. "This is Loki. Loki, this is Lord Sesshoumaru, of the West."

The boy tensed under Sesshoumaru's gaze but the Lord wasn't surprised. Everybody tensed under his gaze, not just children. Loki was clutching something in his hands and Sesshoumaru's eyes latched onto the small orb like item the boy held. Cleary, whatever it was, this was the item that had kept the boys presence hidden throughout the entire day; he was eager to examine it. Before he could demand it though, Kagome turned the child away from him. An inaudible sigh escaped but he was content to wait.

She brushed a hand through his hair and studied the typically somber boy. Though he'd always been quiet and wiser than his years called for, it was even worse than before. "What happened Loki?"

His eyes darkened, his small fisted at his sides. "They destroyed Ruin. Not many people were left alive…" Dropping his gaze, Loki didn't wait for her to interrupt with questions. "The sun had just gone down when they came. No one was worried at first; there were only six of them. But they were so _strong_ and no one expected that. The Leader underestimated them…."

For a moment, he stopped and the ache in his voice was almost too much for Kagome to bear. But he backed away from her and continued. "The fighters were the first to go. After the six were rid of them, there wasn't much resistance left, just the sick and other children. We thought they would leave then, but it turned into a game. They would make us run and hide and then chase us down, killing everybody one by one. " He turned horror, grief stricken eyes to her, pleading. "I didn't know what to _do!_ And Lily…lily wouldn't let me fight. She made me hide. And they killed her! I couldn't do anything!"

He was quivering and Kagome itched to reach out to him and pull him into her arms, the instincts nearly screaming at her to do so. But each time in the past few minutes she'd tried to hold him he'd backed away from her until he was standing down directly between her and Sesshoumaru. She knew it was in his nature to be weary of touching, much as it was in her, the opposite. But even knowing this, Kagome couldn't help but to try and reach out to the child, even if it wasn't physical. Without a second thought, she spread out her aura and like a blanket, wrapped it around the child, knowing it was calming.

Still, it was several minutes before he could continue and Kagome knew that he would always have the guilt of helplessness, the inability to defend what was his, for a very long time.

"I hid beneath a house, under the porch, like we were playing hide and seek." Memories raced through his mind and he visibly flinched but didn't stop. "The scary man was yelling at the one on the ground, asking why he let somebody go and why he killed everyone…and he told him to kill _her_ if she refused to come back with him!" He shuddered and then his eyes widened as his cheeks slowly began to dry, though his scent was filled with fear again. "And then he was covered in a bunch of black clouds! When the clouds were gone, so was he!"

She started to ask him something, her mind racing, but Loki interrupted and took another step back from Kagome until he was standing nearly right in front of Sesshoumaru. "And then I dropped the crystal you gave me!" His already fair skin turned another shade of white and he clutched said crystal all the tighter in his hands. "He looked right at me with these huge black eyes, like a monster! I thought he was gonna find me!" He shivered even as he continued to clutch the small object in his hand. "But then he just disappeared!"

Her previous question forgotten, Kagome sighed and leaned back. "What did they look like, Loki?"

What followed was of course, the over exaggeration of a child who'd experienced a trauma and though Kagome wished desperately to be more thorough and ask harder questions of the child, she couldn't bring herself to believe that he would be of any further help. Surprisingly, Sesshoumaru seemed to be of the same opinion because he said nothing, merely nodded and turned his attention to the twinkling sky above them, watching the moon slowly sink as the sky lightened for dawn.

o.O.o

Dusk settled around them as they faced each other across the path, one worried the other impassive as a child slept between them. They'd taken turns keeping watch throughout the day as the sun sweltered over head, or at least, Sesshoumaru let her think they were taking turns. She knew that he never really let his guard down, even though she was adequate at defense.

An entire day had passed in silence, each lost in their thoughts. Finally, Kagome broke it. "There's a lot going on now. I can't help but wonder who the enemy has looking for me. And it has to be me they're looking for; I can't think of another woman that would be of any worth to them."

"The child's description of the hunter does not do much to alleviate the situation. It would help if he was able to provide a decent description of the demon." He glanced up at the sky, mentally ticking the minutes until they would be able to move again. It wouldn't be long now before the sun was completely beneath the horizon and the moon would rise.

Pursing her lips, she followed his eyes to the heavens. "Playing devil's advocate here, why does it have to be a demon? A human is entirely capable of the massacre and of being manipulated and controlled like that, and of being the manipulator." She paused, brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face and eventually dropped her gaze back to the child. "There was Naraku, after all and any number of the people he influenced when he was alive."

"Hn." Clearly a concession to that point, he too watched the sleeping boy. "Perhaps. Naraku was still a half-demon, no matter his original origins and had the powers granted with such a title. It is not impossible your enemy is human, though it is unlikely."

Silence reigned again for several minutes, before she spoke up again, though the reluctance in her voice was more than obvious. "It's been….a very long time since I've done it. And it's very tiring, draining thing to do. But I could put him into a trance and delve into his mind, his memories, to see if they are any clearer than what he thinks. Maybe I could give a better description than what he was capable of." Biting her lip, clearly thinking quickly, her eyes softened as she continued to watch Loki. "But only if he would allow it. It's too much a breach of privacy to do it without his permission or knowledge."

"You _could_ do it without his consent?" Amber eyes were studying her intently now, curiosity clear in his scent.

Kagome looked up and there was stubbornness in the look of her that he hadn't seen since before she'd regained her memories, since before she'd been taken from her position. "I can." she acknowledged, a hand fisting in her lap. "But I won't unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Such a personal invasion, even with sanction from Loki, is painful and dangerous. Without that permission, invading his mind could very well leave him a vegetable."

"How? The child would receive no physical harm."

"Barriers," she said softly, refusing to back down from the subtle challenge he was presenting. "We all have mental barriers to protect ourselves, whether we realize they are there or not. For example, one of yours would be Rin. You've probably got a mental, 6 foot thick wall protecting that part of your mind. Another would be your father. And still yet another for the torment of loosing Rin. Anything that's happened to you since you were a child, able to understand or not, whether you are fully aware of it or not, has substance to be a barrier, one you may not even realize is there."

Tension filled the air now, most of it coming off the Inuyoukai in waves. Clearly he didn't care for the change of course for the current topic. Irritated, he narrowed his eyes at the girl and brushed his aura threateningly against hers, a warning to be careful what she spoke. "What shield do you possess, Kitsune?"

Not at all bothered by the silent warning he presented, she offered up a small, melancholy smile. "My home, both past and present, and even future. My family, much as yours is. As I said, anything and everything could be protected by the mind, even without our awareness that it is." Sighing, she kept her eyes on his even as she itched to drop it. There was point that had to be clear and Kagome wasn't going to stop until she'd made it. "I don't know the entirety of Loki's past; it's not something he has elected to share with me and it wasn't something that at the time, I'd gone out of my way to learn more about." _As ashamed of that as I am. _Carefully, she unfisted the hand in her lap and forced herself to relax. "What I can say is that his beginning is probably similar to Rin's, past and present."

"He was orphaned. There are many children who have been orphaned in this war. What makes him so different than the others?"

"I don't know," she admitted, tapping a finger on her thigh. "But I was drawn to him, from the first moment I laid eyes on him. He was getting bullied by four other children, older than he was but he was just standing there, taking it. Didn't utter a word when they started to hit him, just took it silently." Unable to take it anymore, she scooted a few inches closer to him and carefully ran her fingers through his lustrous brown hair. "Something about him called to me; I fully believe he was the reason I was in Ruin that day. He's important to this, somehow, it's just a matter of finding out how and why."

Sesshoumaru was a firm believer in instincts. It would be perverse not to be, considering he was, basically, a creature who relied on them. He wasn't surprised that such a reason had brought woman and child together but he was hard pressed to understand why a child would be important. Before this conversation had begun, he'd been prepared to order that they leave the child behind but now he was certain the Eastern Lady would never permit it, even if it meant she had to go on without his assistance. A small part of him rankled at that thought but it was a part of him that he often ignored anyway; it was no hardship to do so now.

So they would be stuck with the boy. Inwardly, he sighed. Because the boy was obviously under Lady Kagome's protection, he was by default under his as well. There was also the possibility that the boy could be convinced to allow her entrance into his mind. No matter how slim that chance might be, it was one that would have to be taken. But Sesshoumaru refused to baby-sit the child. He would begin learning to defend himself and he would give the boy a use, something to occupy his time and fulfill his self-worth, though he would never admit to such a thing, especially in the Kitsune's hearing. "You will convince him he is to stay. And if he cannot agree to let you into his memories then you will have no choice but to force your way in."

o.O.o

Three days had passed in relative silence on the Western Lords part, though the Lady seemed to be a regular fount of chatter in concerns to the boy. Though his answers were typically of the 1 to 3 word variety, on the rare occasion he would grace Kagome with a full sentence, mayhap even two. Convincing the boy to stay with them had been amazingly simple yet Sesshoumaru had not heard his companion bring up the memory delve. He was impatient for her to begin, eager to have any information that would be more informative than what the boy had already provided.

Her chatter an incessant buzz in his ears, Sesshoumaru none the less kept half an ear on the nearly one-sided conversation.

"Favorite color?" She stretched her hands up over her head, interlocking her fingers as she reached up.

Loki looked at her out of the corner of his eye, wondering even as he pondered his answer. "Green."

She looked at him, a sly smile forming as she dropped her arms and put them behind her back as they walked at a leisurely pace, Sesshoumaru only a few feet ahead of them. "Best memory?"

He smiled a little and looked at her shyly. "My first hunt, with brother and Father."

Something inside of her ached at his words; so young and to have so few memories. Through all the hardship she'd been through, as first human and then demon, she'd never had to suffer the loss of a parent. She wanted desperately to pick him up and hold him close. Stifling a sigh, she asked another question. "What did you catch?"

Grin feral, Loki showed his teeth. "A mountain lion." Mildly relaxed now, he scratched his cheek and took a step closer to her. "What is your best memory, Kagome-sama?"

"I've got a lot of memories to choose from Loki. That'll take a minute…" Pondering, Kagome let her eyes wander their surroundings as they walked. There were so many to opt from. Mother and father, her brothers, life on the other side of the well. What did she miss the most? After a few silent minutes of thought in which Sesshoumaru was profoundly grateful for the quiet, she smiled. "My mother's singing. She used to let me curl up beside her in bed and lull me to sleep with her songs."

"Your Mama, she had pretty voice?"

Memories of both her human and demon mother ran through her mind and she smiled at him, one that wasn't really all there. "She wa—

"Quiet."

The word was so hushed that at first, Kagome thought she'd imagined it but upon seeing the demon Lord before them stopped, his nose in the air, she stopped as well and set a hand on Loki's shoulder and spread out her senses. For a moment, there was nothing but a stillness and she absently noted that they had entered a meadow of sorts and the calmness of the area reminded her of the feeling one got in the eye of a storm. Then, on the edges of her senses, she felt it. "Loki, stay behind me."

Communication wasn't necessary between the two Daiyoukai. Though they weren't on the best of terms, Kagome couldn't even venture to call them friends, they had fought together before. There would be no need to keep an eye on each other, or to worry. With that in mind, she focused on the trees lining the edge of the meadow and waited.

There were six of them total, spaced evenly until they were surrounded. As one, they raced across the field and attacked. Two came at her at once and she parried one, dodged the other, making sure to keep Loki behind her and the enemies in front of them. Without a thought, she dispatched of one of them with a slash of claws across his throat. He crumbled to the ground and Kagome struck out at the other but missed by an inch as he suddenly increased his speed. Before she realized what happened, the demon got past her and slashed at her arm. Hissing, she stepped back and kicked out, sending him flying back several feet, even as the laceration started to heal.

But he didn't even seem remotely fazed. In fact, he just came back for more. In that moment, Kagome realized that though they were demon, she could not tell just what _kind_ of youkai they were. There was no identifying scent to distinguish a certain race within the smell they gave off. It chilled something inside of her and instinctual fear almost over took her senses. He got past her guard again and punched her on the left temple. Biting back a snarl and struggling to keep her face impassive, she forced herself to keep cool even as stars danced in her eyes. Slapping her hand out and up, she shoved the cartilage of his nose up into his brain. A cry echoed behind her and snarling, she turned to the monster that held Loki in his grasp.

Sesshoumaru felt the fear in her and bit back a curse even as he disposed of one of the creatures attacking him. He'd noticed the lack of identifying scent immediately and though it bothered him, there was clearly nothing he could do about it now except to focus on the matter of killing them. It was no matter to kill two of them as easily as the girl had killed hers but every time he made an aggressive move towards the last of the ones focusing on him, it backed away, leading a dance of dodging. He heard the boy cry out and glanced over his shoulder to see him in the grip of one of the remaining creatures.

He realized then exactly what they were after. With each step he and Kagome took toward the creatures, they retreated, even more so now that they had the boy. _He is the target_, Sesshoumaru thought, narrowing his eyes in speculation. Before he even had a chance to react though, Kagome's fierce growl echoed throughout the meadow and he watched in masked astonishment as both creatures danced around her, dodging, Sesshoumaru forgotten.

The moment her eyes landed on the creature holding Loki, her eyes bled red and she readily accepted the loss of control. She would kill it; kill them both for the wicked smirks that graced their forgettable features as they held the boy close. Without thought or hesitation, she moved forward and backhanded the one not holding Loki out of the way, before turning her eyes to the boy and his captor. Instinctively she raised her arms in the motions used to level an arrow in a bow and a purplish one formed in her hands, clearly a manifestation of her powers. She released the arrow and watched with grim satisfaction as it slammed into the middle of his forehead, dragging him back and forcing him to release Loki. It screamed in agony and dropped, its body turning an ugly gray before dissolving into a pile of dust.

She took a step towards Loki, slowly coming back to her senses, but the remaining demon was suddenly in front of her, tossing something at her face even as it slashed its claws deeply across her shoulder and chest. Automatically she reached up to bat the item out of the way but it exploded in front of her, raining down red dust, before Sesshoumaru slammed a clawed hand easily through his chest.

Stars dancing in front of her eyes again, Kagome stared in confusion as two Sesshoumaru stood before her, swaying. Blinking, she shook her head and her vision cleared. Dismissing it, she turned to the child, ignoring the glare the other Daiyoukai sent her way as well as the pain that screamed through her shoulder. It would be fully healed in an hour or so anyway. She knelt in front of him and quickly ran her hands up and down his body, checking for injury, or at least, she tried to but Loki squirmed away from her searching hands.

"I'm fine, Kagome-sama."

Suddenly Sesshoumaru was standing in front of her again, an intent look on his face as he sniffed at her. Surprised, she took a step back only to have him grab her wrist. He had a hand in her hair before she could stop him and when he pulled it back, a fine red dust settled on his fingers and he looked at it closely. There was something familiar about the scent of it but he could not recall the memory. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Holding her still, he tilted her head out of the way and studied the wound on her shoulder and chest; it was deep and raw, covering most of her front in blood. The girl did not seem overly concerned about it, though he could not see where any healing had begun. He would have to watch her. They had clearly been after the boy but whatever they had thrown on Kagome was undoubtedly of some importance to them. There would be no other choice but to watch both her and the boy.

"Come. We're almost at the Southern border. Once there, we will call on the Old Treaty and enlist the Southern Lords help."

Confused and mildly dazed, Kagome nodded mutely even as he turned away from her and began to lead the way again. Though they would reach the border soon, the sun would rise first and they would have to stop in order to stay out of sight. And then she could rest and think about what had just happened. Maybe she would remember why those raceless demons had seemed so familiar, tugging at memories in the back of her mind. "C'mon Loki. We'll stop soon and you can get some sleep." When they stopped for the night her arm should be completely healed.

o.O.o

_Laughter danced in the background as she moved in circles with her eldest brother, his hands enveloping her own as he held her securely. He grinned down at her even as he started to move faster, lifting her at the same time until she was horizontal in the air, spinning and spinning. Giggles reigned control as dizziness reared. "Faster, Faster!" _

_He grinned at her and obliged. "Your wish is my command, pup." And faster he went until he was dizzy too and could no longer keep his feet. He pulled her close in a hug and let them topple to the ground. _

_A buzzing filled her ears and her body started to burn; gripping her brothers arm, she cried out-_

o.O.o

Dazed blue eyes snapped open even as she rolled onto her side and clutched at her shoulder. Fire was racing through her veins and centering in her shoulder and chest, as her nerves sang with pain. Unable to help herself, tears streamed out of her eyes and she bit her lip to keep from crying out as her body was wracked with agony. The feeling was similar to when she'd regained her memories but it was more centered in her chest than it was in her head; her heart was racing, she could practically feel each flutter of the strong muscle beating faster and faster until she was sure it was going to explode.

Finally, she could not help herself as the pain built and white exploded behind her eyes, a scream tearing itself from her throat.

o.O.o

Thirty miles away, he watched through the water as the scene played out. Any minute now the girl would pass out as the venom worked its way through her system, tearing apart the cells of her body that were both miko and youkai. He snickered, delight coursing through him; it wasn't necessarily the way he'd been told to go about it but it would do for the time being. If he was lucky, the stupid kit might even die from it. Rubbing his hands together gleefully, he continued to watch the water as it rippled with the movements of his victim.

o.O.o

Sesshoumaru watched for several minutes as the woman writhed with pain and when she stilled after letting lose a scream, he narrowed his eyes in contemplation, all the while immobile. For several minutes she lay on the ground unmoving, except for the occasional twitch. Absently he wondered if this was another adjustment her body was meant to make with the regaining of her memories but he doubted. His mind flashed briefly on the powder that was thrown in her face from the night before. Any minute the sun would set and they would need to start moving again but if the woman was incapacitated, they would be slowed down indefinitely.

Sighing, he pushed himself up and was across the road to where she lay in a matter of seconds. Kneeling beside her, he laid a hand on her forehead and was unsurprised to find she was hot with the fever, though it irked him to no end. Rolling her onto her back, he pushed away the binding she'd wrapped around her shoulder earlier and narrowed his eyes; the wound still looked as fresh as if she'd just been attacked. He sighed and scooped her up into his arms and kicked the child's leg. The boy was instantly awake and at the sight of Kagome slouched against his chest, he paled.

"Come. We are going to the river." He did not wait for Loki to obey and simply started walking.

It took about 10 minutes to reach the river. Sesshoumaru set her down and quickly removed all of his clothing, aside from his fundoshi. When it came to Kagome, he didn't hesitate to strip her of all clothing; the more dry clothing she had, the faster she would warm up once out of the water. Picking her up again, he glanced back at the boy and was unsurprised to see that he had his back turned to the pair of Taiyoukai.

"You will remain on the bank and attentive to our surroundings." It wasn't strictly necessary as Sesshoumaru was not likely to drop his guard but he did not want the boy to follow them into the river and was sure the warning stopped him. Holding her steady, he stepped into the river. The water was cold and fast moving. A lesser being would have been drawn down into the current. Sighing, he entered up to his waist and dropped her into the water, holding onto her upper arms, careful to avoid the injury, but submerging her completely underwater. He expected her to struggle against him and fight her way to the surface but when she was still beneath the water he narrowed his eyes and quickly pulled her back up. She was a dead weight in his hands, her head lolling back, her hands limp at her sides. For good measure, he dunked her a second time. Motionless.

Pulling her up and out, he returned to the bank and sat down with her in his lap while he thought. The child was yet silent but he came to stand behind the two, silently watchful. Absently, Sesshoumaru settled a hand on her cheek and though she was cooler than she had been he could feel the fever raging through her blood. Eventually, she would get hot again and he would be…helpless to do anything about it. He was not a healer. For the third time in so many minutes, he sighed. They were too far out to return to the Western Lands; they would actually reach their destination by the end of the day tomorrow, if they were to continue at the pace they'd set. But she wasn't going to last that long, not with the fever…if he were to travel in his true form though, they would arrive in just a few hours.

o.O.o

He panted lightly as he raced across the ground, four paws beating into the dirt with a steady pace. He'd already passed many villages and scared away several lesser demons. A few had chased after at first but a quick snarl over his shoulder discouraged most tail riding and the few that were stupid enough to issue a challenge.

Meanwhile, the girl had yet to wake and he could feel the heat emanating from her body like some kind of damned furnace as her blood soaked his fur from the newly opened wound. It was irritating but the frustration barely contained the rage that had built in him slowly since she had started to sicken. She was, for the time being, under his protection. Yet every time he turned around she was in some kind of danger and as much as he wanted to strangle the asinine girl, he wanted the person(s) who threatened and harmed her more.

There was also the small, minute, tiny fact that she was beginning to grow on him. She was still vastly irritating however, especially because the more atavistic side of him was overly eager to protect her and keep her by his side. Sesshoumaru was not quite so enthusiastic about her presence; he would much rather have her in her own lands, ruling on her own without having to stop and help her every few decades.

As much hell as he had given her and would continue to give her, he knew the Lady Kagome was powerful in her own right, even before she recovered her powers as a miko. The same could have been said for the human miko, even as just a girl as she had been at the time. Her sacrifice at the fledging age of 17 had shown great strength and courage. The fact that she gave up her life for the good of both human and demon existence greatly impacted both races. Her death, that of a human, was the beginning of a tentative bridge between the two races, one that was still slowly being built step by careful step.

Still focusing on his surroundings, he could not help but to think back to that faithful day when one miko's arrow had stopped time and the others had ended a powerful creature.

o.O.o

_151 Years Ago:_

_The battle was raging heavily now and Sesshoumaru could feel the tension slowly growing stronger and stronger on the field of war. Inuyasha and his pack were each doing their separate parts; the huntress and the monk were doing their best to keep the hoards at bay and away from Inuyasha as he tried to get closer to the evil hanyou. Naraku stood with his back to the forest and his miko, the undead one, stood on the opposite side impassively, watching and waiting no doubt for the best opportunity to drag his half-brother to hell. The whelp would be better off to dispose of her already so that he could focus wholly on the battle but Sesshoumaru knew it wasn't likely to happen. _

_He scanned the field for the other two Mikos even as he slashed away at deadly tentacle. The older one, the one that controlled time with her arrows, was on the very outer ring of the battle, letting the occasional purified arrow fly without effecting time. The other one, the girl that had come to him and dropped to her knees to beg for his help, was closer to the center of the field. There was pride and strength there and plans that he had been unable to decipher. _

_A mindless oni attacked him and Sesshoumaru dispatched of it in one fell swoop, slicing off its head with impassive eyes. For a while, he remained on the outskirts of the fight, content to watch and wait for the perfect moment. The undead miko was making a pest of herself, shooting arrows at Inuyasha and interfering with the fight. Just as he'd decided to rid the world of her himself, his brothers woman did it first. A pale blue barrier surrounded her as she steadied an arrow and let it fly. The former priestess had a shield of her own but it was no match for the much younger girl. In a matter of seconds, the undead woman was gone, a pile of clay the only remaining evidence of her short, tortured existence. It didn't take long for Inuyasha to notice and his anger and hurt filled the field; Sesshoumaru could feel the emotion raging inside his half brother; the hanyou was fighting to control his self. For just a moment, the Lord was sure the fool was going to attack her but he closed his eyes and turned back to the battle at hand. _

_Even as he was working his way closer to the center of the field he felt rather than saw the rising of power; he knew the moment he felt it that it was from the miko, so pure it was. His eyes darted to her and he watched with narrowed eyes as she raised her bow and arrow once again. There was more to it this time, he was positive of that. He had only seen her control so much power at one time once and he knew the attack had left her drained. That she would use it now…._

_The arrow flew and hundreds of demons disintegrated to dust, yet more fell to the side, merely grazed with the awesome power of purification. She followed closely behind it and if he hadn't been watching her, Sesshoumaru would have missed the signal she gave the other miko. She too let out an arrow and by the time he realized what she intended, he was too late. The arrow stopped a foot away from Naraku's heart and time stopped with it. He was frozen, immobile to do anything but watch with growing anger as the human girl raced forward. She climbed atop the ugly mass of tentacles and pulled a dagger from her belt. _

_By now Sesshoumaru was struggling and he could feel the effect of the older miko's power lessening. He was stronger than any other creature on this field and soon he would be able to move. He would kill Naraku and then the miko for her insolence. But even as the thoughts formed he knew it wasn't going to happen; even as he pulled against the magic binding him, the human stabbed the hanyou in the heart and dug out the Shikon no Tama. For one vile second, it glowed with hate and greed and power, purple and ugly but even as she held it, the evil faded and was replaced with a soothing pink purity. _

_As the jewel settled in the palm of her hand the spell with the arrow broke and time sped forward. The arrow from the time controlling miko slammed into the future miko's back, through it and into Naraku as well before continuing its path to a stray demon. By then Kagome had wrapped her arms around the half demons neck and was fair to glowing with purity. In a matter of seconds, it was over and all that remained of the two was a pile of ash even as Sesshoumaru stopped before it. He roared with his anger, his eyes bleeding red and set to killing the rest of the useless, puny demons surrounding them. _

o.O.o

Her supposed death had done much to help bridge the gap of hate between the two races, that much was true but now Sesshoumaru wondered for the first time if maybe she hadn't accomplished what she'd set out to do that faithful day when she offered up her life in return for that of the rest of Japans.

A sudden tingle raced through him and he stopped immediately even as he began to shift back to his humanoid form. They had entered the Southern Lands and to continue in his most dangerous form could be taken as a symbol of war.

The girl was still feverish. Sesshoumaru bit back an irritated sigh and scooped her back up into his arms, still careful of her un-healing wound, motioning for the young neko boy to follow closely. They were close to the southern Citadel, though to give it such a glorious name was a bit preposterous. There were no massive houses and fields and farms. The Southern Clan consisted almost entirely of wolves and the entire pack tended to stick to caves as they were more easily defensible and it required less effort when winter came.

As he reached the beginning of the rocky inclines he stopped and waited as protocol demanded though it irked to defer to someone else. Still he stood where he was, holding the woman apparently negligently in his arms even as he let loose with a large jolt of yoki that would be felt throughout the entire Southern Lands. Almost immediately he felt an answering call and knew that Kouga was on his way.

With an absentminded action that was not suited to him, he brushed her hair out of her face and tilted her more carefully against his chest. He forgot sometimes how much smaller the women of her species were. Since he'd picked her up that first time several weeks ago in the forest, she hadn't put on much more weight. He made a mental note to make sure she was eating properly. He shook his head at the propriety thoughts.

A cyclone of wind announced the arrival of the Southern Lord and Sesshoumaru was almost amused at the slack-jawed shock on the Lordlings face.

"How is she alive? All the reports said she was killed when she gave herself up!" Kouga took a step closer and was about to reach out to her but for the arrival of another wolf. This one was female and his mate.

Ayame narrowed her eyes at her mate but said nothing and instead turned to the Lord and Lady before them. She was well used to her males overly fond nature for the Eastern Lady, especially with her resemblance to a miko from their past, not to mention the sharing of the uncommon name. She often ignored it and was actually close friends with this Kagome, much as she hadn't been able to be with the past one. She turned her green eyes to Sesshoumaru. "So the rumors are true."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the female wolf. There should not have been any rumors. "What do you speak of?" Though posed as a question, it was more demand than anything. He glanced at Kouga and was tempted to roll his eyes as the other Lord continued to stare. Clearly his mate would be the one worth speaking to for the time being.

She shook her head and motioned to her prone friend. "We'll speak of it later; there is no telling who listens, even out here. What happened to Kagome?"

He would have to be content with that for now though he didn't particularly care for her commanding aura; it wasn't exactly something he could be irritated about though so he brushed it off and answered her question. "We were attacked. At the end of it, before she killed the creature it threw a red powder on her. Now she has the fever and her injury is not healing." He shifted her slightly even as he glanced around, as if to check for enemies. "You're lands were closer than mine, meaning a skilled healer is closer as well."

Ayame shook her head. "Of course. Please, follow me." As she turned, she elbowed her mate in the side. "Let's go Kouga. We'll take them to Liree."

Kouga stared for only a moment more before he nodded, his lips a grim line along his handsome face. "Yeah, let's go. And while the Lady Pup is being taken care of, you can tell us what the hell is going on here."

For a single instant, Sesshoumaru wished for the days when the wolf had been still only a Prince and not a Lord. He would have dearly loved to put the boy in his place. Instead, he merely nodded, glared at the other man and followed Ayame.

o.O.o

(A Couple weeks before the final battle w/ Naraku)

"_Kagome-sama….might I have a few minutes of your time?" _

_Kagome looked up from her task and smiled gamely at the elder miko. Chikara was always soft spoken and hesitant around her, despite the fact that they had been travelling together for a quite a few months now. She glanced at the others and wasn't surprised to find that only Inuyasha was being annoyingly nosy. Of course he would stick his nose where it didn't belong. Nodding, she stood. "Of course. Let's go for a walk." Setting a hand on Chikara's arm, she led the other woman away from the group._

_They walked in silence for several minutes, Kagome patiently waiting for her companion to speak and Chikara trying to put enough distance between the two groups that the demons in the larger could not listen in on what she felt needed to be said. She watched her feet as they walked, her light brown hair hanging down in front of her face. After a while, when Chikara was fairly certain they were far enough away, she turned her pale green eyes to the younger miko. _

"_I've written the spells you asked me for, to wrap around the arrow but you still won't have much time. And you'll only have the one chance…if you don't get it right the first time, there won't be a second no matter how quickly I loosed a second arrow."_

_Kagome smiled gently before turning her eyes to the sky above them. "I know that. Don't worry, I won't make a mistake." _

"_Kagome-sama…."_

"_Just Kagome, remember? I'm younger than you; I should be the one calling you 'sama' or at the very least 'sensei'." The words were spoken jokingly but Kagome was still a little serious. _

_Chikara shook her head and slipped her hands into the sleeves of the traditional white haori wore by most all Mikos and disregarded that statement. "How do you plan on getting out of the path of my arrow after you rescue the jewel?"_

_Kagome didn't say a word but dropped her gaze from the sky to her. There was a sadness about the younger miko that Chikara had always wondered about but hadn't been able to place, until now. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kagome cut her off. _

"_When I signal to you, you have to shoot immediately, without hesitation."_

"_But what about you? You may be strong, but not even you could withstand an arrow purified by time."_

"_My life is of no concern. This war has been raging for over 50 years. It's well past time for an ending." _

"_But Kagome-sama! What about your friends, your family? Don't you want to go home?" She reached out to grab a hold of Kagome's arm as the other woman moved to take a step away._

_Kagome closed her eyes and almost allowed herself to be bowled over by the grief Chikara's questions brought. The other woman had no idea how desperately she wanted to see her family again, to return to her own time. But Kagome had known for a while now that she was probably never going to go home again. There was too much to do here and her role was entirely too large. The Shikon had come from her body and she was the one to shatter it; though she knew better than to place the blame entirely on her own shoulders, Kagome was brave enough to realize that she would have to be the one to end it. It was only fair after all. It mattered of course that the others had claims on Naraku's life and she felt horrible about taking that away from them. But ultimately, it wasn't about what they wanted or needed or what she wanted, because Kami knew the last thing she wanted to do was give up her own life, but she couldn't allow the others to risk their lives for something she knew personally that she could end. _

_She opened her eyes and smiled again, another echo of sorrow evident in the dark blue depths. "You have no idea how much I want that; more than anything I've ever wanted before, I would love to go home and be safe with my family, my friends, to return to where I belong." Gently, she unwrapped Chikara's fingers from her arm and held her hand lightly, allowing the clean purity of her power to wrap around them both like a blanket. "I don't have the training you do, the knowledge or the legacy or even a legitimate claim to being a miko other than that I have that power. Aren't you taught though that giving up your life for the good of the village might one day become a necessity?"_

_She patted Chikara's hand and let it drop before motioning back the way they had come. "My family, my home…it and they are safe. But that group back there, that is my village, that is who I wish to protect and who will need my protection. I don't mean to make myself into a saint and you can bet if there was any other way to do what needed to be done and still mean survival for me…I would examine every possibility so I didn't have to make such a huge decision. I have to do this, as much for them as for myself. If I hadn't shattered the jewel in the very beginning, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now and I probably wouldn't have met any of the people in that group except for Inuyasha. None of this would be happening. So I have to take responsibility and make things right, even if it means I don't get to see the results of my actions."_

_Chikara couldn't help it; she launched herself at Kagome and wrapped her arms around the smaller frame, holding tightly as she cried. "I'm so sorry Kagome…"_

o.O.o

Sesshoumaru leaned back against and watched as Liree went about his work. He'd tried many things to wake Kagome but so far, none had helped. They had been in the Southern Caves for several hours and yet still, the girl slept. It irked him to no end. Ayame and Kouga were waiting for him but Sesshoumaru was hard pressed to leave the girl in the hands of the clearly more than capable healer. Still. Sighing, he pushed himself to his feet. "She is to come to no more harm healer." The implied threat was apparent; satisfied, he left the room in search of his hosts.

o.O.o

"Hey! Hey Souton!"

He huddled over his carving, using his claws to etch the picture into the precious wood. He was almost done with it; they never took much time but he enjoyed making the small totems for the children who wanted them and in particular for the woman who he wanted. She had yet to notice his existence but he- a pair of thin, childish arms tacked him from behind and he barely managed to draw back his claws to keep from marring the wood.

"Souton! Hey! Pay attention to me, would ya?" The little girl was a light weight and she giggled in his ear.

Obligingly, he stopped what he was doing and pulled her over his shoulder so that he was holding her in front of him, her feet not touching the ground. "How many times do I have to tell you not to jump on people Lena?"

She grinned cheekily at him and patted his cheeks with her small hands with the impudent-ness of a child who knows she can get away with it. "Did you hear Souton? Did ya?"

He sighed and shook his head even as he set her gently on her feet. "What was I supposed to have heard by now, little one?"

Lena scowled at him and set her chubby little hands on her waist, imitating the stance she'd seen Lady Ayame pose whenever she was talking to Lord Kouga. "I'm a big girl now Souton! You can't call me 'little one' anymore! I'm 89 years old!"

Souton grinned at her and reached out to muss her hair but she was quick and dodged out of the way even as she grabbed a hold of his hand to keep it in her grasp. "Papa says that Lord Sesshoumaru is here! And he brought Lady Kagome with him! Oh and there was a boy with them too!" Lena grinned as if to say, 'aren't you impressed with how much I know?'.

He froze and narrowed his eyes on the child before him. "Did your father say why there were here?" Souton wasn't stupid of course; he knew about the battles being fought north of them and that many of the citizens from the East and some from the West had been sent here for protection. But there had to be more than that for the two strong Daiyoukais to be in the Southern Lands.

"Of course; he's with Lady Kagome, trying to figure out why her wound won't heal and she won't wake up. Lord Sesshoumaru is with Lord Kouga and Lady Ayame, talking." Finally, Lena let go of his hand and excitement shone in her eyes. "Maybe the war is over?"

o.O.o

Kouga stared out at his clan, his hands crossed over his chest as he processed everything Sesshoumaru had told him. Somewhere out there, Lady Kagome had an ally she or anyone else knew nothing about. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing but Kouga didn't particularly like not knowing all the details. He remembered how he used to charge into battle feet first without pausing to stop and think and he knew it was a miracle he was still alive today. Sighing, he turned back around to face his mate and Sesshoumaru.

Ayame continued speaking. "So we know this new enemy wants Kagome dead but at the same time it seems they want to take complete control of Japan. So which is more important to them?"

Sesshoumaru leaned back against the stone slab that served as the back of his chair, his fingers tapping silently against the large stone table top. "It is a combination of both. From the beginning the target has been the East. For the last 67 years, she has been the leader for that territory."

The red hair sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "It would be naïve to say she doesn't have any enemies considering her station but Lady Kagome is the least aggressive of us all. Why target her?"

Growling with his frustration, Kouga flung himself into the chair at the head of the table. "Because they underestimated her. It's an idiotic move to make, misjudging a Daiyoukai but it's not like it hasn't been done before."

Narrowing his eyes, Sesshoumaru nodded his agreement. "It is not simply that however. There is something more going on that we are not grasping."

o.O.o

Liree stifled another growl of irritation and sat back on his haunches, his gray tail dragging on the floor. He'd been at it for several hours now, trying to decipher the problem. The woman would not wake and no matter what he put on her injury, nothing helped to close the wound. Something was blocking everything he put on the bloody mess and he was afraid that if he didn't figure it out soon, she would die and soon. It was just a matter of whether it was from blood loss or the fever.

The only thing he could do right now was to stitch the thing closed. It irked him that he was having to rely on such human methods but it was the only way he could think of to try and stop the blood from flowing. It was slow going and Liree was glad she was unconscious for it. Even so, he numbed the area as best he could after cleaning it. He had to go as quickly as he could considering all the blood but the injury was large, arching from the top of her right shoulder down to almost her left breast and because it was a claw marking, there were four jagged lines. He sighed and got to work.

By the time the curtain to his small healing room opened almost an hour had passed and he was done. Without looking up, he said, "I've done the best I can for right now Lord Sesshoumaru. The bleeding looks like it's slowing but her fever hasn't dropped yet. You said you put her into the river to try and cool her down but you stripped her of her clothing." Rinsing his hands off he stood and glanced towards the door. "Oh. Souton. I apologize. Lena isn't bothering you is she?"

Souton merely shook his head; his eyes were all for the woman on the mat. God, she hadn't changed much at all. Finally, he tore his eyes away from her and focused on Liree. "No, she's fine. I just came to see if there was anything I could do to help." Again his eyes darted to the Lady.

Though he thought Soutons seeming fixation with the Lady was odd, he didn't say anything. It wasn't often one saw one of the Four great Daiyoukai's flat on their back. "There is, actually. I need to speak with Lord Sesshoumaru but I don't want to leave her here by herself…"

"I could stay here with her," he said immediately and then frowned as he heard the eagerness in his voice. He glanced at Liree and shrugged good naturedly. "It's not like she's going to wake up, right?"

Liree shook his head. "No, but it would be good if she did. Lord Sesshoumaru said she was probably poisoned; I want to get her original clothing to see if there is any of the residues left so I can try and find an antidote." He tilted his head a little to the side. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go get the Lord? Sitting here is going to be awful boring and I don't know how long it'll take to find him."

"No, I'll be fine. Besides, it'll give me a chance to hide from that hellion daughter of yours." This was said with a small smile and a few more steps into the room.

"Well…alright then." Liree hesitated for just a moment more before leaving the room, patting Souton on the shoulder as he passed.

Just like that, he threw a barrier up around the room and dropped to the floor beside Kagome. She was so pale that it took his breath away and even without touching her he could feel the heat emanating from her. Liree hadn't bothered to cover her up so he could see the bandage that wrapped around most of her upper body. Even though so many years had passed she was still so small. He remembered holding her in his hands for the first time and how she just filled them. Sighing, he brushed some of her hair off her face and took her hand in his.

With just a few muttered words his spell dropped and he was a Kitsune again, holding the hand of his little sister. Gone were the green eyes and brown hair and the scar that covered half his face and the wolves tail that dragged the floor. He closed his eyes for just a minute and held tightly to her before setting to work. He had no idea what the poison was or what to do to counteract it but he knew that blood from her family or her mate would help to fight it. Letting go of her, he bit down firmly on his own wrist and then held it to her mouth.

He almost didn't think it was going to work but when her mouth started to move and she automatically drank the blood like a pup, he relaxed. He couldn't let her have much but then hopefully she wouldn't need much. Several minutes passed and the only sounds were the crackling fire and the soft suckling of her lips against her skin as he took in her blood. Using his free hand, he set it on her forehead and was relieved to see that her temperature had dropped. Carefully, he pulled his arm away and watched morosely as the bite healed. He wiped the blood from her lips with his sleeve and put another cool cloth on her brow.

He moved to stand but something held his wrist and he glanced down to find that she had a tight grip on the appendage. Glancing quickly at her face he cursed when he saw that her eyes were openly staring at him, blank and dazed. "Big…brother…?"

With a few quick words, plus a quiet curse or to, his illusion was back in place and he looked back down at her with green eyes and a semi-confused smile. "I'm sorry, Lady Kagome. My name is Souton."

Kagome blinked watery eyes and shook her head a little but she couldn't get the face of her brother out of her mind. It was clear though that the man before her was not him. He was tall and well built, like all of her brothers, but there was an ages old scar on his face and dark green eyes that held nothing but impersonal sympathy. Biting her lip, she started to speak but a curtain opened on the other end of the small room and she glanced in that direction. Everything felt muffled and her arms hurt like the dickens, whatever that meant. She tried to move a little but pain called to her and she was pulled back beneath the surface of darkness.

Liree hurried into the room at the sound of voices but came to a disappointed stop at the foot of the pallet. "She was awake?" he asked, looking at Souton.

"Only for a minute. She was still in the grasp of the fever I think; she confused me for her…brother?" He looked at Liree, feigning confusion. "I didn't know the Lady had a brother."

The healer sighed and sat back, holding the bundle of clothing carefully. "She doesn't, not anymore."

Ch. _fin_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Truths Revealed and Not

"_Dear, dear child…"_

"_You could have told her the truth you know. There is nothing that says the keys must be kept in the dark. You had This One's approval."_

_Midoriko glanced forlornly at the soul beside her, even as anger squashed the pitying emotion. "And what would that have gained but more pointless worry on the girl's part? Why should she have to bear everything alone on her slim shoulders?"_

_The other soul snorted with ladylike derision and settled her fist under her chin in thought. "You did. Besides, she is not alone. She has her dog."_

_It was the miko's turn to snort derisively. "And look where it got me; trapped in the jewel with only the occasional visit from the likes of you."_

_Well used to the miko's biting comments, the soul rolled its eyes. "You had a choice, just as she did and still does."_

"_Hmph. Neither of us has or had a choice and well you know it. If you wanted to give us a choice you would have made us weaker in spirit."_

"_That may be true," said the soul, "but if I had then neither of you would be who you are or were or will become. There must always be balance; to achieve that balance there are those that must fight for it, those to who much is given but much is lost. She is strong, Miko. I would that you put more trust in her abilities." The soul smiled a little, a smile that quickly turned into a smirk."After all, I would not have chosen her if she was not worthy."_

o.O.o

He could smell the scent of blood strong in the room, a fragrance so familiar that he almost didn't realize it wasn't the same and that it didn't belong to the girl. Narrowing his eyes, he knelt beside her and ignoring the healer, leaned closer to examine her. The fever was still there but he could tell that it had lessened a good deal and there was more color in her cheeks. He dropped his eyes to the wound on her shoulder and was surprised to see that it was not as red as before. Sesshoumaru was almost content to let it drop, if it were not for the scent of another's blood on her. Rising, he left the room without a word to the healer or his still unconscious patient.

Liree watched the Western Lord warily and only after the Inu left the room did he hurry to kneel beside the girl. Just from looking at her he could tell her fever had dropped and she seemed to be healing, despite whatever poison was in her blood. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he caught the scent of another's blood but barely registered it as memories long past surged to the front of his mind. When he was still being taught, still apprenticing to the previous healer, he remembered the haggard old wolf mentioning poisons that only dark miko's could make; one was made of red powder and essentially stopped the healing of whatever creature just happened to be exposed to it. It only took a small dose, just a little bit inhaled or even brushed across the skin and the victims healing abilities would cease to work for a week's time. Technically, it wasn't that long but when one add injury to insult, the victim could very well die within a matter of days.

He paled at the thought and immediately set to checking her injuries. They were still just as bad as before but not as red, as if the infection was healing. He tilted her head a little to the side to check the edge of the wound and stopped when he caught a strong scent that did not belong. Narrowing his eyes, he bowed his nose closer to her neck and nearly reeled back with shock. What in the world was Soutons blood doing on the Eastern Lady? He remembered the blank look on Lord Sesshoumaru's face and terror dipped into his gut. Surely murder was at hand. Jerking to his feet, he raced out of the room and off to find Souton, hoping beyond hope he could find the other man before the Lord did.

Sesshoumaru moved calmly if militantly down the corridors of the cavernous caves. The list of people who were permitted to get that close to any Daiyoukai were short but Kagome's was even more so right now, what with the constant threat hanging over her head. He wondered what foolish youkai dare even attempt the feat and how they managed to get away with it. There was no guard outside the healing room of course and he would rectify that as soon as this matter was taken care of. The girl was too important to risk losing. By the time he followed the scent to its end, he was in the main cavern of the caves, the large mountain atop them providing a massively high ceiling and plenty of room for thousands of youkai to gather. Scanning the room, he was unsurprised to see the healer already there, speaking furiously with another wolf that had a long scar down his face.

Instantly he was standing before the two and his fingers glowed with a sickening green cackle, his poison dripping sinisterly to the floor as his gold eyes caught green. Aside from his poison, Sesshoumaru's stance was relaxed as he confronted the other male. "You gave the woman your blood." The words were as cold as the ice that lined his ices and just as lethal.

Souton laid a hand on Liree's shoulder who until that moment had been busily lecturing the other male and attempting to get him to hide. The healer stopped mid-word and glanced at the demon Lord, his normally tan skin dropping to a deadly pallor. "That is enough, my friend," Souton said, his eyes all the while never leaving Sesshoumaru's. The older man studied the Lord, considering his options, before nodding. "That's right."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and took another step closer to the wolf, clearly prepared to injury and main unless he got answers. In the back of his mind, he cursed the girl for putting him through this; if she had not been born a Kitsune then he would not currently be in the position he was in at the moment. "You will speak the truth or you and yours will go under my claws." At his full height with his yӧki swirling ominously around him and poison dripping from his fingers, he was a vastly intimidating figure but the wolf did no more than raise an impudent brow.

"With all due respect Sesshoumaru-sama, the only person who I owe answers to is Kagome." Liree moaned and dropped his head to his hands even as he looked out hopefully at Sesshoumaru. Souton all the while remained calm, one hand still on the healers shoulder and the other peacefully at his side. The lack of defensive position registered only vaguely on the faces of some of the other wolves, all of whom were slowly growing angry at the intruding Lords treatment of one of their own. Souton smiled genially and held his hands out before him in yet another peaceful manner. "I will be more than happy to speak of the truth with Kagome but only with Kagome. You will have to wait to see what she tells you. Until then, I will continue to help with her healing until she is able to do so on her own."

For one instant of a second, Sesshoumaru was tempted to rip the impudent wolfs throat out and crush the vocal chords in his strong hands. He narrowed his eyes even further as the man uttered the girls name without any sort of honorific and wondered if perhaps the two had not shared in some kind of illicit romance. She would be in vast amounts of trouble if that were true of course but Sesshoumaru highly doubted it was; she still smelled of the innocence only maidens carried. Whoever he was Sesshoumaru was angered that the male dare try and side-step his orders. Before he could do anything further though or even follow through with his sinister desires, the wolf Lord stood between the two.

Kouga had known the instant he felt that aura of danger from his fellow Lord that somebody was perilously close to dying. Having been on the receiving end of that stare numerous times, Kouga decided it would be best to intervene in the off chance that whoever it was happened to be someone worth having around for a short time longer. And he was right because it was Souton and that was a whole other story in and of itself. Closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose, he glanced at Sesshoumaru. "The matter will be taken care of. He is my man and I will be the one to deal with him."

The Western Lord snarled, turned his icy gaze to the Southern Lord and turned on his heel. He knew the rules of the land and there was nothing at this point he could do about the wolf with the scar. But his time would come and Souton would pay for his insolence.

Kouga let out the breath he had been holding and glanced at the man that had been his friend and ally since before the Dark Times. "You aren't going to be able to hide here much longer. This is your only chance; if you want to remain what you are then you need to get the hell outta here. Otherwise you're gonna have to face her again." He turned his eyes to the retreating Inu and slowly shook his head as memories of another Kagome entered his mind. "If she's anything like another girl I knew then she'll probably let you off the hook. But I don't know this Kagome like I did the last and there really is no telling."

Souton carefully relaxed his body muscle by muscle, unaware that he'd been tense in the first place as he too watched the Daiyoukai. But Kouga's words caught his attention, as well as Liree's. "You mean the one from the Dark Times," Souton said, recognition lighting his green moss eyes. Confusion reigned on the healers face and both men had to remember that he was the youngest of the three and didn't know about battle for the Shikon no Tama.

"Kagome…" said Kouga, his own eyes lost in memories. "It was a very long time ago," he said, glancing at Liree and Souton. "When my father was still Lord and I sought a blue-eyed girl from the future. She gave herself up so that we may all live." He shook his head and tugged on his long ponytail before he ambled off, lost in his memories. Before he was too far away, both Souton and Liree heard him mumbling. "It will take another great sacrifice to end the evil that's coming for us…."

o.O.o

"_Faster!" squealed a little girl. She clung tightly to the hands of a large man who was spinning her round and round in fast circles. Her giggles bubbled up as he obliged her and moved faster in a circle, two thick manes of black hair clouding around tan skinned faces. Finally, he tossed her up into the air among more peals of laughter as she pin wheeled her arms on the way down, spinning head over heel. _

"_I've got you little fox," he said loudly, a chuckle working its way up into quiet, warm voice. He caught her gently under the arms and spun her around once more, his mood lightening at the giggles from his little sister. _

_She spun around in circles as soon as her feet touched the ground and if it hadn't been for his hand in hers, she would have tumbled to the ground from happy dizziness. "Masaru, Masaru! Let's do it again!" she squealed as soon as she had her bearings. "Please Ani?"_

_Masaru finally let loose the laugh he hadn't wanted to and mussed the girls hair. "I'm afraid, little fox that I have a meeting to attend. I promised only one ride this time. Mayhap you wish to give this Masaru a rain check?"_

_The girl pouted, her lower lip trembling adorably. "This Kagome wants another ride now!" Tears welled in the corners of her dark blue eyes and she stomped her foot petulantly, her tiny hands fisted at her sides. _

_Masaru sighed and dropped to the crouch before her, reaching out to wipe the tears from her eyes before they could fall. "Tomorrow, little fox. This Masaru gives you his word."_

"_That's what you said last time and that was almost a year ago!" she whined, pushing his hand away from her. "You never make time for me anymore Masaru!"_

_Generally speaking, the elder Kitsune was a very patient person, especially with his only sister. But so much was going on and horrible trouble was brewing to the North. There were so many matters to attend to and so much that needed doing but it did not stop him from feeling guilty about leaving the girl to her own devices. Still, she needed to understand. "Listen closely Kagome for what I am about to tell you is something you will need throughout the rest of your life, especially as a member of this family."_

_For the slightest of seconds, she was tempted to interrupt and continue in her demands for another ride but the solemn look in blue eyes so like her own held the girl still and she inclined her head to listen. _

"_There will be times, as a ruler and as a royal, when the wants of the self must needs be put away in order to preserve the needs of the public. One day, you might have no choice but to sit the throne and it is then that you must remember that there would be no kingdom without a people to protect. Everything in the East belongs to our family, little fox, the subjects included. They will come to you in times of need, in times of darkness, in times of deceit and you must always do what is right. There will be times when you will need to be firm, times when a gentle smile is called for and times again when you must kill."_

"_But Masaru, you're next in line for the throne! Why do I-_

"_Because even though this Masaru is slated to rule after Father, Fate is a fickle creature; whatever she wills, will be. So you must learn to be kind but firm, merciful and merciless. You must see to the needs of our people, no matter what. That is what I am doing, that is why I cannot give you another ride today. Do you understand?"_

_The little girl sighed and dropped her eyes guiltily, staring down at the ground as a flush crawled up her chubby cheeks. "Yes, Ani, I understand."_

"_Good girl." Bending over, he planted a kiss on her nose, mussed her hair again and stood. As soon as it was clear he was leaving, she was once again surrounded by guards. Between the legs of the older demons, Kagome watched her brother walk away. _

o.O.o

Silently, Sesshoumaru seethed though his features remained impassive. He wanted nothing more than the throats of both Kouga and Souton between his fingers, their life's blood dripping to the ground. He acknowledged it was the beast within him that demanded their gory demises and he full heartedly agreed with it even as in the back of his mind the more rational part of Sesshoumaru understood that Kouga was well within his right to protect the other wolf and that though Souton was grievously close to crossing the line of propriety concerning the girl, he hadn't done anything inherently wrong. It was Soutons blood that had been spilled not the girl's and the only result seemed to be a slightly better medical condition for her.

Still. He was loath to let the matter drop. Striding back to the healers cave, he plotted the wolf's demise. Unfortunately, he knew it was not to happen as soon as he entered the cave and saw stormy blue eyes glaring at him. "Where he is? Whoever he is, I want the person who gave me his blood. Right now."

Sesshoumaru stilled in the entrance to the cave and took a small breath before returning her glare with more venom and slightly less movement around the eyes. "Quiet. He will come with Kouga and the healer. You will see him then."

Kagome's glare only grew stronger at Sesshoumaru's reprimand. She knew it would be smarter to do as he said and wait for the others to come to her, especially in her condition. But she was so freaking tired of waiting, of lettings things happen and not being able to control any of the situations. Snarling, she flung aside the covers and ignoring the warning growl from Sesshoumaru, pushed herself up. It was slow and painful; with each movement, pain racketed her body. Her skin paled even more and a fine sweat broke out on her brow. Very slowly and painfully Kagome pushed herself up to two feet. By the time she was standing, she was panting heavily and she couldn't help but to keep a hand held over the wound.

The entire time Sesshoumaru remained impassively still, eyes narrowed at the girl and her illogical, stupid attempts to rise. He did not utter a word as she pushed herself up and slowly moved towards him and the door. Only when she was a foot away from him did he say anything and he remained before the door, blocking her path. "You will return to your pallet."

She narrowed her eyes at him and did an impressive impression of the cold lord. "No. Get out of my way," she warned, dark blue eyes bleeding red around the edges.

Sesshoumaru snorted and raised a brow. "You think you can best this Sesshoumaru in your condition?"

"I don't know but I can try. I've been doing a lot of waiting for the past several years and making my decisions based on the needs of others. I'm done with that and I think it's about damn time I start acting like the leader I'm supposed to be. Now, are you going to get the hell out of my way or am I going to have to force you?" Her words were vehement and uttered around slightly heavy breathing but the determination in her voice was clear.

The demon Lord studied her for a moment. He could see the pain in her eyes, in the way she held her body so stiffly but along with the pain was a strength he had not seen in her in a long while. He doubted she would be much of a match for him the way she was now but the idea of adding more injuries to her already extensive ones rankled with the beast inside him. Sighing, he stepped out of her way. "Very well."

Kagome blinked, the red draining out of her eyes and her shoulders dropping under the easy capitulation of one that was usually so unmovable. Still, there were puzzles to be solved and the anger rose in her again. She was so tired of being handled with velvet gloves, of being handled at all. Whatever was going on in these caves, she was going to find out. Nodding, she moved forward as quickly as she could.

When she'd woken up not so long ago at the huge surge of power, some of it Sesshoumaru's and Lord Kouga's and the other one she didn't recognize. Then she'd noticed the scent of blood mixed with her own and the familiarity of it had stunned her but she couldn't place the exact person it belonged to. It was like a memory tickling at the back of her mind, begging to be remembered. That, the rises in powers and the pain she was in all just combined to put her over the edge. She was so tired of being the one that needed protection, the one that needed help. It was past time to start putting things to right.

By the time she reached the entrance to the main cavern she came face to face with Lord Kouga as he was leaving. For one heart stopping moment, Kagome's memories of past and present mingled and she was tempted to throw her arms around the wolf in a tight hug, even as she kept in mind the cold distance the Lord had kept between them because of her name sake. That thought at the front of her mind, Kagome kept her face impassive as she stumbled to a stop. "Lord Kouga."

Kouga sighed and raked a hand through his hair in exasperation. Would this day never end? "Lady Kagome," he said, setting a hand gently but firmly on her shoulder as he attempted to turn her around. "You should return to the healing cave."

Kagome narrowed her eyes and shrugged away his hand. "No. Get out of the way."

The Lord could not keep the surprise off of his face at both her actions and his words. Generally speaking, Lady Kagome was kind and civil, nice to be around and tended to keep her orders to herself. This Lady in front of him was both cold and hard, an angry glint in her eyes. It was interesting but Kouga was not yet ready to do away with his friend's façade. She was weak right now and there was no doubt in his mind that he could take the girl. That said, he unleashed his yōki in an attempt to suppress her own.

It was the worst thing he could have done. It unleashed her fury and Kagome relished in the feel of her own yōki breaking free of its chains for the first time in many years. She snarled and with a vicious swipe of her good arm, backhanded him into the nearest wall. "I told you to get out of my way," she said quietly, not even looking at him as he slid down the wall of the cave, surprise evident on his face.

Behind her, Sesshoumaru barely suppressed a smirk. She was limping, she was hunched over and already he could smell the scent of her blood bleeding through her bandages. And still she was stronger than the wolf. He glanced at said wolf as he pushed himself up from the floor, shaking his head in dazed surprise. The attack wasn't nearly enough to hurt him but Sesshoumaru was sure the girl had used enough power to knock some sense into the mangy creature. Still, it wouldn't do to create more tension between the lands, especially since the South was the only ally left to the East and West. "It would be wise to let the girl handle this, wolf."

Kouga shook his head one more time as if trying to shake the stars from his eyes even as he moved towards the entrance of the cave where Kagome had long since passed through. "If she wreaks any havoc, you're dealing with her Sesshoumaru. I ain't got the patience to deal with that kinda thing."

Sesshoumaru thought briefly of the wolf from ages before who would have jumped at the chance to kill anything that had attacked him and thought it amusing that Kouga had mellowed in the past 100 years. "Hn." Sedately, he followed behind Kouga and kept his eyes on the girl.

Kagome didn't even glance at the Southern Lord after she backhanded him and merely continued on her way into the main cavern. There were too many demons and humans in the caves to count but a majority of them were wolves. She didn't know where her own or the Northern citizens were but they were the least of her concerns at the moment. With a skill she hadn't used in a very long time, she scanned the mix of yōki and auras in the cavern, searching for her prey. Barely, she could scent his blood mingling with the scent of hundreds of other beings in the cave but it was so minimal that she had to try and match it with the yōki swirling massively around the room.

Her body was throbbing, her head pounding with the blood rushing through her head and veins. Even as she felt the yōki that matched the blood she scented, she could feel her own blood dribbling down her front and back, wetting the clothes that covered the injuries. Her head swam at the sensation and Kagome took a deep breath to steady herself before marching forward to meet the youkai who dared to give her his blood.

When she saw him, Kagome vaguely remembered him standing over her in the healing cave but what returned to her mind the most were the stark blue eyes so like her own.

She approached him and his companion who she realized was the healer. Though her movements were fast they were anything but steady and she was quickly getting paler and paler the longer she exerted energy. She glanced at the healer for barely a second before turning her eyes to the wolf with the scar. "Who are you?" she demanded, her fingers curling into fists convulsively as she glared at the two of them.

Liree watched Kouga leave them and turned to Souton. "I don't know entirely what you did in that room with Lady Kagome while I was looking for Lord Sesshoumaru but you had best make up some ex-" He broke off and turned towards the front of the room at an impressive display of power and nearly cursed.

Souton narrowed his eyes as he too turned towards the rise in yōki and for the first time in many centuries, felt surprise. It had been a very long time since he'd seen her, since he had felt the strength in her. The power in her nearly overpowered every other aura in the room and he could feel the discomfort from several of the youkai and humans around him. He watched as she flung Kouga into the wall like he was nothing, could see the red bleeding into the corners of her eyes; the scent of her blood was strong in the room and fear tightened like a fist inside him.

When she approached, he could do naught but stare at the woman he had left as a girl; all that remained of the child he remembered were two delicate dark blue stripes under each of her eyes. Her power left him speechless, her anger resigned.

Liree did curse now and quickly approached the Lady, ignoring the warning growl she sent him even as he pulled down the shoulder of the robe to see to her wound. "Quiet, woman. You've got your confrontation but it's not going to do you any good if you keel over from blood loss."

She was tempted, very much so, to kill him where he stood for his impertinence but logic stayed her hand and she permitted his touch before turning to the wolf that had yet to answer her question. "I asked you a question wolf."

Souton frowned as he watched her and for the first time really studied her. There was something…different about her but he could not place it for the life of him. He knew it likely had a lot to do with the fact that he honestly hadn't seen her in almost 100 years, maybe more. He couldn't even remember. She was colder than she used to be, fiercer but then that could be attributed to the fact that she had been a child when last he'd seen her. Sighing, he crossed his arms over his chest and answered. "My name is Souton, My Lady. I am friend and ally to Lord Kouga."

Kagome unknowingly leaned more and more into Liree even as she studied the demon across from her intently. His answer riled her because it was both truth and untruth and Kagome was hard pressed to decipher which it was. "I want a straight answer, damn it! I am Lady of the Eastern Lands and demand to know the truth!"

All the while, Sesshoumaru and Kouga stood silently to the side, Kouga surprisingly impassive and Sesshoumaru watching warily. The wolf was loath to intervene when he knew that every response and action Souton gave Lady Kagome would be vastly important in any future relationship. The dog was quiet mainly because that was his way but also because he did not know the particulars of the situation and knew from vast experience that it was always better to wait and see before jumping in feet first. Besides, he still wanted the blood of Souton.

Slowly, Souton dropped his arms and slipped his hands into the pockets of his hakama. He allowed a small, gentle smile to form and tilted his head to the side. "I am deeply sorry My Lady but it is not a question I am allowed to answer. You must learn the truth on your own."

By this point Liree was taking most of her weight and he wanted nothing more than to take the girl back to his chambers and continue with her healing but no one in the cave seemed even remotely interested in that. In fact, a majority of the cave had gone silent in order to watch the debacle now going on. He wanted to scream in frustration.

Kagome nearly growled and found herself bouncing back and forth between past and present, unable to decide who she was anymore or what the best reaction would be. "You test my patience, wolf. Do not make me take your life from you over something as simple as an answer to a question." Unwittingly, her yōki rose to such heights that she was stifling those in the cave unable to handle it, forcing them to leave the caves. She studied him with narrowed eyes and tried to decipher what he was saying and not saying. Again, his blue eyes, so much like her own…

She froze and met his eyes. They were green, just like Ayame's and Shippo's but she could have sworn the eyes she had looked up into were dark, dark blue. Narrowing her eyes, Kagome took another step closer to the wolf, eying the long scar across his face. Carefully, she narrowed her yōki down and focused it entirely on him. At first she couldn't find it, the sense of illusion magic that was so strong in her own blood.

Souton could feel her power even more strongly now as it focused on him; he could feel it probing against his very being and with a sigh, he strengthened the magic. He could not allow it to be so easy so he made the illusion as strong as possible, just as the miko had told him to do. He said nothing to her accusation and instead merely continued to meet her eyes.

Kagome frowned when she felt nothing but the strength of his yōki and after several minutes of probing, she almost dropped the matter. Maybe he really was just a kind youkai. She remembered then that kind or not, his blood should have done nothing but make her situation worse yet instead, though not healed, was better than when she'd first entered the Southern Caves. It was curious, for sure and Kagome knew there was more to the situation than she was seeing. Unconsciously, she gave Liree almost all of her weight as she used more and more of her power. Her sight was starting to get bleary and she was slowly getting dizzy the longer she stood.

Liree sighed and willingly took to holding the Lady up, using some of his own power to boost her own as he slid a gentle hand tentatively around her waist. He didn't know what was going on between the two demons but there was something similar about the two of them that Liree couldn't place.

For a moment, her vision went completely black and she nearly panicked but just as quickly it was back again as she felt an answering boost in power from Liree. She studied Souton carefully and then finally focused on the scar on his otherwise handsome face. A memory from a very long time ago surfaced and Kagome couldn't help but to stumble back in surprise. Her power rose in answer and she flung them at Souton with a vengeance. She could sense it now; the illusion he'd weaved around himself was strong so much so that she honestly hadn't even noticed it until she'd focused on the scar. Changing hair and eye color was simple, even scent. But adding something to his appearance took a powerful illusion and to maintain it even more so.

She focused on it and nearly smiled when he flinched in response and she began again with renewed gusto, tearing at the illusion with everything she had left.

Several minutes passed in silence as the two youkai merely met each other's eyes but for those strong enough to sense it, there was a battle of power that was slowly smothering the lesser youkai in the cavern. Kouga quietly set about evacuating the main cave and those they were reluctant to leave, the lesser demons did.

Kagome could feel herself slowly getting weaker and weaker and knew if she didn't reveal him quickly she would lose the battle of wills and so much more. With a snarl, she exerted one more hard snap of yōki and was rewarded with the wavering of the illusion. Both Souton and she were breathing heavily as they both put out so much power but even in her weakened state she was more powerful than the wolf. His illusion dropped with a snap when she put the final bit of pressure on it and she could do naught but stare.

A man stood before her; his eyes were the same midnight blue as her own, as her fathers and every other member of her family. His hair was shaggy and black, brushing against the collar of his haori. He was tan and his cheeks chiseled. He was still the same height and build, tall and rangy, lithe in an athletic way. Under his eyes were two dark blue lines, just like her own. Masaru. "Big brother…"

He smiled gently at her and took a step forward, intent on wrapping her in a hug like he used to when she was a child. But the fierce anger on her face stopped him in his tracks. "Little fox…?"

"You're supposed to be dead!"

Masaru hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. "It was a necessary lie, little sister. There is much that you do not know."

"Clearly," she snarled, shaking Liree off and advancing upon her brother. "I thought I was alone for the last 50 years! Do you have any idea what I've been through? The hardships, the shame, the weakness! How could you possibly stand by and let me handle all of that by myself?" she demanded, hands fisted. She wove where she stood but would not be stopped by the worried looks. Tears gathered in her eyes and she would have been hard pressed to say whether it was from emotion or from physical pain. "You're my big brother! You were supposed to protect me!"

For the first time Masaru flinched from both the pain in her eyes and in her words. He had watched from the Southern Lands for a very long time, keeping track of everything in the Eastern Lands from the death of his father and mother, to all of their brothers. It had pained him beyond compare to watch the girl he'd helped raise go through so many traumas alone. The only thing that had stopped him were the words of the Miko, guiding him through every movement of his life and showing him what was to come if he deviated from her plans. But he could not tell Kagome any of this. "I am sorry, Kagome. It was out of my control." He sighed and took another step closer and before she could stop him, scooped her up into his arms. "I am sorry, little sister. You have no idea. But you must rest and heal."

Kagome snarled and without a second thought, unleashed her yōki completely in an attempt to smother Masaru's. "Let me down you—you—you jerk!" she screamed, struggling in his arms.

It was Masaru's turn to snarl and he released his own power in answer to hers. He might not have been the ruler of the East anymore but he was still a daiyoukai. He matched her inch for inch in power and in her weakened state, she was no match. The strength of his power battered at her weakened body and mind and she collapsed in his arms. He moved to leave the cave and was faced with Lord Sesshoumaru. Stifling what was sure to be a rude comment and his sigh, he stopped. "Lord Sesshoumaru. I would that you allow me to pass. My sister needs healing."

Sesshoumaru had been watching the entire encounter with barely concealed impatience. With each minute the stupid girl stood arguing and flinging her yōki around, the weaker she became and the longer it would take her to heal. It was an inconvenience they didn't have time for. When the wolf was forced to drop his illusion, to say Sesshoumaru was surprised at the identity of the wolf was an understatement. He had known there was something…off about the other man, something he couldn't place. But it all made sense now and Sesshoumaru was loath to admit it but it was a good thing the girl now had another ally. It would be yet another person to help with the battle against whom or whatever this enemy was.

As Masaru approached him with Kagome cradled in his arms, Sesshoumaru found himself tempted to take the woman from him and carry her himself. Restraining himself, he nodded slowly. "You have much to explain. I would suggest you have your story straight before the girl wakes."

Masaru raised a brow and after a moment of silent study between the two, he nodded. "I will, My Lord, of that you can be assured. Now, if you don't mind…." He motioned to the cave entrance behind Sesshoumaru and Kouga.

Silently, Sesshoumaru stepped out of the way for the second time that day. Kouga sighed and stepped back as well. "Hell of a day," he muttered, shaking his head. "You know she's going to have your head when she gets better, right?" he demanded of Masaru.

The male Kitsune smiled slightly and looked down at his sister. "Maybe. But it will be good practice for her."

Kouga snorted. Liree, muttering about head-strong powerful Daiyoukai's and all their insufferable secrets, led the way to the healing cave. "You'll all be the death of me," he mumbled, head ducked down as he strode away. "Every last one of you…."

o.O.o

125 Years Ago: Masaru

_Masaru looked down at the missive in his hands and slowly closed his eyes. So it was time. He had known almost since he was old enough to understand that the future his parents laid out for him was never to happen. There had always been something different about him than from other Kitsune his age, even as a child. He had known it was especially true when he'd started dreaming about the Miko._

_Now he had this letter and he knew it was time to start on the path that She had laid out for him. Carefully, setting the letter down he stood and moved to look out the window. Snow covered the ground and the sky was abysmally grey and overcast. As he knew it wouldn't though, the horrible weather did not stop his little fox from romping in the cold. Out of all of his siblings, she was his favorite and the others knew it. There was something obviously pure about the girl, aside from the fact that she was still a child. He loved her as he hoped he would one day love a child of his own though he would never admit that to his parents. _

_As Daiyoukai they had rarely had time for precious family moments and so Masaru remembered spending a good amount of time with tutors and trainers or alone. He didn't resent his parents for the lack of attention, in fact, he understood it perfectly. He only hoped though that he was different when he had kits of his own. But the girl…Kagome. He knew, as he knew many things the past couple of years that she would be the future even as much as she was the past. _

_He watched as she stumbled over a pile of snow and jumped back up, snowball in hand. He was amused as she flung ball after ball at her numerous guards and before he realized it, one was hurtling towards him. Knowing it would make her laugh, Masaru allowed the wet ball to hit him, nailing him squarely in the nose. True enough, her laughter reached him and he smiled at her before wiping away the snow and moving away from the window. _

_A knock sounded at his doors. "Enter." _

_A tall man pushed open the door. He was almost 6'5 and his hair was thick and blond in a wild Mohawk atop his head. All over his skin there were yellow-gold stripes over tan skin, stripes that matched the color of his hair almost perfectly. His eyes were a warm chocolaty brown. "Prince Masaru," he said, bowing beautifully at the waist. _

"_Rise Cross," he said quietly, standing behind his desk again and staring down at the letter. _

"_You called for me, my friend?" asked the blond, moving forward to stand before the desk._

_Masaru pointed to the letter. "It is time we left, I'm afraid."_

_Cross glanced at the paper then impassively out the window behind Masaru. "So it is as you said all those years ago. You knew this was going to happen, Masaru. One might wonder how you knew such a thing….."_

_The Kitsune glanced at his friend and a quiet smile formed on his lips. "I'm afraid there are many things I cannot tell you Cross. What I can say is that I am not fated to rule these lands."_

_Cross raised a brow and turned back to his friend. "So. When do we depart?"_

_Masaru closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was pain, so much if it buried inside. This was home, and family and friends. He did not want to leave. But he knew, as he had always known, that fate was a fickle creature and a cruel master. If he went against what was laid out for him there was no telling what would happen. He thought briefly of Kagome, the girl he knew now, the woman-child she had come from and the magnificent demoness she would become. What a path she would follow. "We leave now."_

_o.O.o_

Far away, in lands shrouded in mist and darkness, evil lurked. Thick, poisonous miasma drained the life from the few living creatures that still remain. Mountains rose up on all sides to surround an almost miniscule valley where the darkness was strongest. Not a sound could be heard over the cloying hum of the living, venomous cloud that shrouded the mountains and valley below.

In the center of it all, barely distinguishable from the mist they hid in, were two figures and they were slowly destroying the silence that ate at the gorge. One figure lay crumpled on the ground deceptively still as tears poured silently down his cheeks. His heavy, pain-filled panting was the only sound that could be heard as his body twitched.

Finally, the one still standing spoke. "This is the second time you have failed me boy," it snarled. It was a voice filled with darkness as the very miasma that filled the valley drained from the body it inhabited.

"Please, master," he begged, curling onto his side and crawling forward to kiss booted feet. "How was I to know the first Prince still lived?" he cried.

The voice roared and the man on the ground screamed with pain as more miasma poured into his body. "You should have paid closer attention! Do you really think the Lord and Lady of the East would have let their heir travel abroad without protection! His death was obviously a lie to hide something!" A foot struck out and slammed into the ribs of its victim. "I should kill you for your mistakes!"

The man cried from fear and knew he was helpless to stop any blow, just as he knew he was helpless to change his master's mind. All he could do now was pray for mercy and hope he was given one more chance. Just one shot; that was all he would need. The woman would not get the chance to survive again; he would make sure of it if only he was given another chance. He sobbed and waited for the worst.

Eventually, silence reigned again as the Master stood staring down at the servant, debating. Perhaps with the fear of his impending death the foolish creature would actually succeed this time. Narrowing black, empty eyes, it knelt beside the servant and caressed silky black locks in a manner that was anything but comforting. "I will give you one more chance vermin," it crooned, "but this is what you must do. I will not tolerate another mistake…"

The servant greedily kissed his masters boots even as anger and pain roiled within him. "Anything, My Lord. I will do anything!"

o.O.o

Pale brown eyes the color of caramel snapped open. His small body was wreaked with cold sweat and pain coursed through his limbs. The terror from the nightmare still fresh in his mind, Loki curled in a ball and wrapped his hands around the small charm Lady Kagome had given him. The power of the charm felt like a comforting blanket and gradually, the small boy relaxed.

He was too young to really examine the events of the dream, to decipher if they had any deeper meaning and so with the innocence of a child well used to violence, he drifted back off to sleep, the venomous words of the thing who destroyed his village well and truly forgotten.

o.O.o

"_Wake child. There is much to discuss," crooned a soft voice. _

_Slowly, Kagome opened her eyes and not for the first time upon waking in the strange in-between world, was confused. She had been expecting Midoriko, the quiet, stern miko who had helped lay out her life. Who stood before her was nothing, or rather, no one. She was alone but she could have sworn someone had called to her. Gazing wearily around, she waited. _

"_You are a smart one, little fox. You do not jump into action at the first moment of uncertainty…of course, it could be said you are not wise enough to sense the danger around you. What do you say, little fox?"_

_Kagome scowled and slowly sat up, crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her knees. "I would say that an enemy who hides their corporal self has no wish to be seen and therefore no wish to engage in battle. In fact, the Kagome from the future would consider you a coward." _

_There was silence and then a quiet humming. "Hn. You would do well to remember your place, reincarnation," it said quietly. _

_She couldn't stop the snort from escaping but the tart comment stopped before it left her lips as a pale gold mist formed before her. Understanding formed and the human she used to be was tempted to bow and offer an apology but the daiyoukai she was now stopped her. She did not bow or apologize but she refrained from anymore otherwise caustic remarks "I see." _

"_I'm sure you do, Kitsune," it sneered. _

"_You're the one who sent the shape-shifter to free me from that prison," she said carefully. Rite dictated that she never level her eyes completely on the being before her but the arrogance of her more recent lineage had her doing it anyway. _

_It chuckled darkly. "That is correct. You are aware then that you are now in this ones debt?"_

_Kagome raised a brow at the golden mist and scoffed. "I don't owe you anything. I did not ask for help and no one would have sent you on my behalf. For whatever reason you chose to free me from that prison for your own personal gain." _

_There was silence again before the humming started up once more. "You have more spirit than I expected girl," it said finally. _

_This time Kagome laughed. "What do you expect? I've been a priestess in two life times and am a demoness now." _

"_That is incorrect." _

_Kagome stopped toying with the hem of her sleeve and once again scoffed. "I think I know my own history," she said shortly. "Is there anything else you want to say to me because I've got a brother to rip into and a kingdom to put to rights again." She paused and rubbed absently at her thigh. It was getting harder and harder to differentiate between her past personalities and the one she was used to now._

_It snorted in derisive amusement. "You were a priestess in your last life girl but not so before. Despite the striking resemblance between yourself and the miko Kikyo, you were not her reincarnation. You come from a much greater being than that paltry creature that succumbed to the darkness within her." _

_It was with great restraint that Kagome kept the snarl to herself. Despite the fact that she and Kikyo had never been…anything at all, there was still a part of her that regretted that she had been the one to destroy the other woman. "Get to your point," she said quietly, dropping her eyes finally. _

_The entity laughed gently and Kagome felt odd warmth surround her. "Calm your spirit, little miko. There is much you do not understand and much I cannot tell you, yet."_

_Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm getting really tired of hearing that. I'm also really tired of almost getting killed and being kept in the dark. If you can't tell me the truth then why did you bring me here?"_

"_Poor, poor child," it said softly, "you have already given so much for the greater good." _

_If it hadn't been for the gold mist still floating before her, Kagome would have sworn she felt a hand caressing her head. The words it said almost brought tears to her eyes but as she thought over everything she had done in every life, Kagome knew she had done the right thing. No matter how much she wished for just one single, normal day Kagome knew that everything she had done had been for the better of everyone else._

_There was a soft humming again and Kagome recognized it as the sound that always began and ended her time in this odd in-between place. Before she could say anything the spirit spoke again. "Do you have any regrets for everything you've done for me thus far, little miko?"_

_Kagome scoffed and closed her eyes, laying back down as she did so. "I would be a food to say no; everyone has regrets, even someone like you. The right question would be to ask if I would do the same thing over again if given the choice." She peeked on dark blue eye open and offered a half-hearted, weary smile. "And I think you already know the answer to that question."_

_It chuckled and began to speak again but the humming grew louder and she was unable to hear what was being said. _

o.O.o

Masaru sighed and leaned back against the wall in the healing cave. He was not the only man with his back against the cold stone but he was the only one actually concerned about Kagome. He knew Sesshoumaru was only their out of a duty to both her and his lands, likely a vow of one sort or another. From what he remembered of the Western Lord there was not much there as far as emotions went; Masaru wondered if the other Lord was as cold as he made himself out to be.

Three more days had passed since the scene in the main cavern and though Kagome had been close to wakefulness several times but out of concern for her being and considering her tendency to disobey orders, Liree had opted to keep her under with herbs and spells. It was no hard feat, considering her injuries and of course, Masaru was there whenever needed to offer up his blood and speed up the healing process. He did not like keeping his younger sister trapped in dreams for so long but the obvious positive effects were more than worth it. Whatever the poison had been it was clearing out of her system quickly, especially with the addition of his blood.

Yawning, he took a glance at the other two Lords and Lady Ayame. There was tension in the room as everyone waited for Kagome to wake up but Masaru knew it would be soon. For the most part, she was completely healed and he knew her anger and hurt for him would eventually push to the surface.

The silence in the small cave, especially the tension between himself and Sesshoumaru, was palpable. Masaru had never gotten along with the other Lord to begin with, even when they were children and he hoped no one expected him to now, as childish as it was. There were just some things that could not be changed. That's why it irked him to no end that the Miko was planning to mate Sesshoumaru to his sister. He'd wanted to throttle her for planning that particular bit.

Even as the thought crossed his mind he heard her breathing speed up, signaling the end of her sleep. Carefully, he moved closer to the pallet of furs she lay on and leaned over her, taking her hand into his. He nearly yelped when her hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled her closer, using a bit of her purification to achieve the maneuver. Her eyes were open now and narrowed dangerously on him. Convulsively, he swallowed; it was times like this when his little sister scared him. He was almost positive she got it from their mother, Kami's bless her soul.

Ch. _Fin_


End file.
